Torn Apart
by TrackerJackson
Summary: In the 35th Games, where previous victor, Juliet O'Hare is mentoring, twenty four tributes are pitted against each other in a desperate fight to the death. Friendships are formed and romances begin, but which families will be Torn Apart? Sequel to my previous story, Standing Alone. Rated T for blood and death. Will be updated regularly.
1. Pretty Little Things

_Disclaimer: This is Suzanne Collin's world. I just like to play in it._

**A/N: This is a sequel to my first story, Standing Alone. If you have accidentally wandered into this fic, I would advise you to read Standing Alone first. You will be able to follow this if you don't, but you will understand it a lot more if you read Standing Alone. **

**I know a lot of you are upset that your tribute won't be in the Games, and I have to offer you my sincerest apologies. School has picked up, and I'm trying to make a varsity team my freshman year, so I'm swamped. Excuses aside, I think you will all actually enjoy this better without it being an SYOT. I will be able to update faster, have longer chapters, and I think my writing is better when it is my own characters.**

**I hope you all enjoy the first chapter!**

Chapter One

Pretty Little Things (District One Reaping)

"_Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."_

_-Vince Lombardi _

_**Mylar Poise POV**_

I sashay along the Main Square, hand in hand with my boyfriend, Gilt Wonder. We attract jealous stares from the other girls, and I toss my mane of shining, blonde hair behind my back, not even caring when it smacks some poor, beggar girl in the face.

It's not just the girls who are starting, and Gilt notices. He tugs me towards him and plants a kiss on my lips, smudging my lip gloss. I pull away from him and pout. "Gilt! I spent a long time on my makeup! You can look, but _please_ don't touch!" Exasperated, I desperately try to smooth my gloss around with my lips, which causes the boys on the side of the street to stare.

"Sorry babe," Gilt murmurs, wrapping his arm around my waist. The starting boys turn away, disappointed. Gilt and I have been dating for three years, since we were fifteen, and, while we are a cute couple, I know all the other people our age want us to break up. After all, every guy has wanted to go out with me ever since I came to school after summer break in eighth grade, and had magically sprouted boobs. Paired with my shiny, pin straight, blonde hair, wide, turquoise eyes, and muscular, tall body, I was the hottest girl at school.

Even Silk Feora, who has been ranked the second hottest girl at school, is nowhere close to me. The teachers aren't aware of our little list that is passed around each year, ranking everybody on various scales. Gilt and I have been ranked best couple two years in a row, and Gilt has also dominated the list for hottest boy.

He has untidy, brown hair that is constantly falling into his deep green eyes, and his body is absolutely yummy, thanks to his training. We both train for the Games, even though we have agreed on only me volunteering. This is the year, when I am eighteen, where I will go into the Games, win, and come home a Victor. I know Gilt will propose once I come home, and we will live out the remainder of our lives filthy rich in our house in Victor's Village.

I reach over and muss Gilt's hair, and he looks at me in anticipation, wondering if he will get a kiss. Inwardly, I sigh. My makeup is messed up enough, so I lean in and kiss Gilt, pulling him closer with my hands still tangles in his hair. He responds, and we kiss for a few minutes before I turn away.

"I have to get back home. Mother and Vine will be waiting for dinner, and I don't want them to worry."

I give him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll see you at the reaping, sweetie!"

"Later, baby."

I walk briskly across the Main Square, until I turn off onto a dirt road used only for transporting gems on horseback. A couple of miles down that road is the house where my Mother, my Father, my brother, Vine and I live.

We are rather poor by District One standards, and our rundown, two story house shows that. I pull open the front door and walk inside. I know Father won't be back yet; he is still working down at the jewelry store, and he won't be back until late this night.

Sure enough, Vine is sitting at the table and Mother is holding a large pan over the stove when I walk in. She smiles when she sees me. "Oh, Mylar, you're home! Could you help your brother and clean the table?"

I look over to where Vine sits "helping" setting the table. I walk over and jab him with my finger. "Sure, Mother—I'll _help_ Vine set the table."

He stands up, groaning, and retrieves the placemats from their shelf in the pantry. I walk over to the drawer, and pull out three napkins. I don't even have to ask—I know Father won't be joining us tonight. I use the opportunity of being in the kitchen to glance in the pan. Rice noodles, snap peas, shredded carrots, and ground turkey boils softly in a sauce made with various sweet and sour spices.

Instantly, my mouth waters at the delicious smell. Grinning, I open a second drawer and take out three forks. When I go back to the table, Vine is collapsed in one of the chairs, with the three placemats haphazardly thrown on the table. Sighing, I adjust the mats and lie down the napkins and forks.

Mother takes out three plates and scoops a generous helping of pasta on to each one. My stomach rumbles audibly. "Thank you, Mother. It all looks delicious!"

She smiles, and hands me two of the plates. "Thank you Mylar. Would you mind bringing those plates to the table? I'll bring over the last one when I come over."

"Sure Mother," I say as I grab the plates and walk over to the table. I plop Vine's plate in front of him unceremoniously, and he grumbles a thank you. He is the laziest, messiest brother in the world, but we are close and I love him.

Mother joins us at the table and we all start to eat the heavenly food. I was right; the food it fabulous. Halfway through the meal Mother turns to me. "Sweetie—Are you sure you want to volunteer tomorrow? You know marrying Gilt would give you enough money already!"

I sigh. Mother and I have talked about this a hundred times ever since Em, my personal trainer, came by to tell her I qualified to volunteer. "Yes Mother, I have to do it. Gilt is rich, but I don't want people thinking that I only married him for his money!"

"Well, doesn't he want to marry you regardless of how much money we have?"

I pause. Gilt is fairly concerned with his status, as am I. I want to be _the_ married couple of the year, and that means being a Victor. "I have to do this Mother—not for you, not for Vine, not for Gilt, but for _me._ You know I've always wanted this!"

Angry, I clear my plate and stomp out of the house, heading over to Gilt's. I knock several times, and Gilt opens it, an annoyed expression on his face. It stays for a few seconds, but he wraps me in a hug and, by the time he stops hugging me, he looks worried.

"What's wrong, babe?"

"Mother tried to convince me not to volunteer this year."

"You have to! It's your last year in the reaping. Doesn't she understand that you have trained?"

"To be honest, I've never told her how much I've trained. Actually, I've never told you either."

He looks confused. "What do you mean? I thought you trained in knives and sprints for a few years!"

"Well…" I look awkwardly at the ground. "I've actually been training in knives, spears, swords, climbing, sprints, and long distance running since second grade. Em didn't want it to get out, because she didn't want the girls to consider me as that much of a threat until it was time to volunteer. Do you remember what happened to Ribbon?"

Gilt slowly nods. Ribbon was murdered—along with her entire family—two years ago the night before the reaping where she was supposed to volunteer. Nobody has ever known for sure who did it, but people think it was Shier Brooks, the girl who volunteered in her place. However, she died, along with Peach Gemstone, the tribute from last year. District One hasn't had a Victor in five years, and I have to break that streak.

Gilt still looks dumbfounded. "Why didn't you tell_ me_?"

I shrug, apologetic. "You might have told someone if we had—for some reason—broken up, and that would have put me and my family at risk."

Gilt nods, and I can almost hear the wheels in his head turning.

"You're not…mad at me, are you?"

"No, no of course not. It's just a lot to take in. After all, I did just find out that my girlfriend is a killing machine."

He cracks a small smile, and I give him a hug. "Thanks for understanding Gilt. It's getting late, so I'm going to go back home. I have to bet up early if I want to look presentable for the reaping tomorrow."

Gilt kisses my cheek. "Night, babe. I love you."

"Love you too."

I leave his house and walk the thirty minutes back to my house, where I sneak up to my room. Now, after I have had time to cool off, I am ashamed by how I treated Mother. I really don't want to face her tonight.

I snuggle in my emerald green blanket and stare out the window as the starts start to pop into existence in the night sky. I wish Father would come home soon; I know Mother tortures herself by waiting until he does, which sometimes results in a very small amount of sleep for her.

The stars and the moon bathe my room in a milky glow, and I hum a song Father taught me before he started working at the jewelry store.

_Hush little tribute, a word don't say_

_Daddy's gonna buy you a Mockingjay_

_And if that Mockingjay can't sing,_

_Daddy's gonna buy you a hidden-knife ring_

_And if that hidden-knife ring won't cut,_

_Daddy's gonna but you your own wolf mutt_

_And if your own wolf mutt gets killed,_

_Daddy's gonna buy you a nightlock pill_

_And if that nightlock pill's too big_

_Daddy's gonna buy you a land mine rig_

_And if that land mine rig won't blow_

_You'll still be the deadliest tribute I know_

I fall asleep with the vision of the reaping in my head.

_**Gilt Wonder POV**_

The events of last night still play in my head. Wow. I had no idea that Mylar was some sort of vicious warrior. This certainly puts a small hiccup in my plan. Silk, who is sitting next to me on the couch, notices my discomfort and wraps her arm around my shoulders.

"Something wrong Glitzy?"

I snap myself out of it and look at Silk. She looks so _hot_ with her curly auburn hair, dark brown eyes, and slim figure showed off in all the right ways by her tight pink top and slinky black leggings.

Mylar truly has no clue that I have been cheating on her with Silk for the past year and a half, and I was planning on her never knowing. I thought she only knew how to train with knives! She would have _definitely_ been killed in the Games, and I would be free to be public with Silk.

I know Mylar—if I broke up with her, Mylar would tell everyone that she dumped me. Then it would look like I was going out with the second best option. I know that Silk isn't as hot as Mylar, but Mylar is just so _annoying_!

My plan has to work! Mylar _has_ to die! The only one in the District who can take her down is… I lose my train of thought as I realize what I have to do. I have to volunteer and take Mylar down myself. Then, when I win, everyone will know that it was _me_ who decided to move on, and I can get my fairytale ending with Silk.

Returning Silk's hug, I answer, "Yeah, Silky, I'm fine. I'm just worried about tomorrow."

She pouts, confused. "Why are you worried?"

"I've decided to volunteer with Mylar. Baby, if I can win this, Mylar would be completely out of the picture."

Silk smiles, intrigued by the thought of having me completely to herself. "I've seen you practice, and you're good. I think you have a chance!"

I kiss her, welcoming her smooth, lip gloss-free lips. "Thanks for supporting me baby. I have to go to sleep to be fully rested for tomorrow, but after the reaping, this charade can be stopped."

She frowns and pulls me closer. "Can't I stay, just this one night? This might be the last time we get to spend time together!"

"You know we can't. What if Mylar walked in before you left? We'll have plenty of time once I get back."

Silk kisses me goodbye and I go to sleep, relishing the sound of Mylar's canon ringing in my ears.

The next morning I sleep in, and wake about an hour before the reaping, and walk downstairs. Satin, Mom, and Dad are cooking breakfast, and they look up when I walk in. Mom comes over and hugs me.

"Oh Gilt, this is you're last year! Aren't you so happy?!"

This is not going to go over well. I shoot them an awkward smile and clear my throat. "Well, you see, I've actually decided to… volunteer this year."

Dad laughs, and puts down his spoon. "That's very funny Gilt, but you really shouldn't do that to your mother."

Satin just smirks at me. I think she is the only one who actually realizes that I'm serious. Satin is twenty, and has been out of the reapings for two years. Neither of us ever trained for a long time, but we have done the basic District One training. I'm proficient with swords and I know the basic survival skills, but my real skill is my strength.

Standing at 6'3' and two hundred pounds, I have a lot of muscles and I can wrestle almost anyone to the ground.

Mom holds me away at arm's length. "You aren't serious, right?"

"You see, I really have to do this for personal reasons. I've trained enough, and I know I'll come home."

Dad stands up and walks around the table. Satin still sits coolly in her chair. "You realize that we don't need the money. We don't need any of this. You don't have to do this."

"I do have to do this. I'm not doing it for the money; I just have to do it for…me."

Satin finally speaks up. "I would let Gilt do what he wants. When I was almost eighteen I almost volunteered. I've regretted the fact that I didn't ever since."

Mom, whose face has turned rather pale, looks back and forth from me to Satin, and back to me. "You… you almost volunteered? And you—you're volunteering this year?"

I nod. "Please don't even try to convince me otherwise."

Dad comes over and hugs my Mom from behind. "We support your decision. I just wish you wouldn't."

"I know… I just also know I have to."

Mom hugs me. "You know we will be rooting for you."

"Thanks Mom and Dad. I have to go get ready now."

Dad hands me a piece of bacon and a slice of toast. "Won't you at least eat?"

"Sure, I'll eat it while I'm getting ready."

I go upstairs and slip into a white shirt, navy blue shirt, and navy pants. I put on my brown shoes, and try to comb back my brown hair. I look in the mirror and smile; I look good. The navy blue brings out my emerald eyes, and my shoes match my shoes.

I leave the house and start to walk to the reaping, careful not to get any dirt or dust on my shoes. I see Mylar walk towards the square, and I duck behind a tree, careful not to let her see me. She does look fantastic, with a short, light blue dress, and pristine, white sandals. Her blond hair falls straight down her back, and her makeup is wonderful, making her eyes pop.

I sign in after she goes into her section, and I walk by myself into the eighteen year old boy area. Several boys glance enviously at me as I brush a curl of my hair behind my ear, and I give them a toothy smile. The mayor, Clos Marble, walks out onto the stage and introduces our escort, Nitya Lockhearst.

Her silver hair glistens in the sun, and her long, green legs prance across the stage. "Alright District One, are you ready for the reaping?"

The crowd answers with a cheer and Nitya pauses until we are quiet again. "Ladies first!" She skips over to the large glass bowl containing ten thousand slips of paper, twenty eight of them containing Mylar's name.

Nitya plucks a slip from the top and reads it aloud. "District One, your tribute for the 35th Hunger Games is… Gemie Topaz!"

I close my eyes and breathe deeply, counting in my head. _One… Two… Thr—_

"I volunteer!" Mylar's voice echoes around the town square, and I open my eyes to see her striding confidently up to the stage. It's go time.

Nitya selects a boy—Sylk Reynolds—and I quickly thrown my arm in the air, avoiding Mylar's questioning eyes. "I volunteer!"

The crowd parts, allowing me easy access to the stage, and I climb the stairs, still avoiding Mylar's glare. I still have to figure out what I'm going to say to her when she asks why I volunteered!

Nitya hold my hand in the air and asks me, "What's your name?"

I respond, "Gilt Wonder," and Nitya addresses District One.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… your tributes!"

They go nuts, excited by the prospect of finally having a winner, and I take the time to subtly look over at Mylar. She appears to be calm, confident, and deadly, but I know her well enough to know that she is confused and angry at me. She looks over at me and our eyes meet.

I flash a smile at her, unsure of what to do. She shoots me a quick confused glance, and I mouth _I'll tell you later_ in her direction. She turns back, satisfied, and I continue waving and blowing kisses to the crowd. I will win this.

**A/N: I spent three hours writing this chapter, I hope you will spend three seconds writing me a review! It makes me want to write three times as fast!**

**Because of the messing around with the chapters, it might not let you review, so you can review anonymously, or PM me if you want. I'm afraid it will be like this for about four chapters, but then it will get back to normal.**

**~TrackerJackson**


	2. Pieces

**Chapter Two— Pieces: District Three Reapings**

"_Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." _

― _Martin Luther_

_**Copper Telle POV**_

My sister Wynona and I sit lounged on the carpet in front of my family's television, watching as Ian and Juliet walk hand in hand in front of the President's Mansion. Wynona, who has always been romantic, sighs as Ian bends down on one knee, and pulls out a ring.

I, however, feel slightly bad for Juliet and Ian. Sure, they are going to get their happy ending, but I know that President Snow will force them to have a big Capital wedding, as opposed to a smaller District one. I know for a fact that each District has their own wedding traditions.

Here in District Three we have our own tradition. When two people get married here, they wind a strand of each of their hairs around a coil of wire and walk into their house with the wire held in each of their hands. For me, a wedding wouldn't be the same without our little ritual.

Sure enough, Ian produces a big, fancy diamond instead of a ring made of brightly colored tin, which is used in District Six. The crowd roars and Juliet happily nods yes, with tears of joy streaming down her face. Wynona turns to me, a smile on her face. "That's what I want someday—guys just like Ian who loves me as much as Ian loves Juliet."

I sigh. "Wynona, you know we can't worry about that yet. We have to worry about keeping Mom fed; you know that."

Wynona makes a face and sticks her tongue out at me. "Why do you always have to be such a Debbie Downer? You never know… Mom _could_ get better."

I snort and turn off the television. "You know that's not happening. She has Epulhistististiser and you know that no one has recovered from that."

Epulhistististiser is a rare but dangerous disease that has had several outbreaks around District Three. It has four stages, and then the fifth ends in death. First the victim becomes very weak. The span of this stage varies; sometimes it only takes three days, but it can last up to a month. The second stage is a terrible cough that renders the vocal cords useless. This stage lasts for exactly one week. The third stage is a terrible fever that lasts for five days, and then the fourth stage is a sleep. This lasts for two weeks before the victim slowly slips away in their sleep.

Mom is in the third day of the second stage, and she can't leave her bed or talk to us. It's up to Wynona and me to buy the food and take care of her. Dad died of the same disease several years ago and, if we can't get Mom the medicine she needs, she will die as well.

Unfortunately, the only way Wynona and I can make enough money in the little time we have left is by volunteering for the Hunger Games. However, we both know we can't do that. We are both underfed, weak, and have no discernible skills that would help us win.

So, we both took low paying jobs at the electrical mill, where we put the plastic coatings over the wires. Sometimes, the wires shock me, giving me tiny scars all over my fingers.

Wynona stands up from the couch, and walks back towards Mom's room. "Listen Copper, I'm going to feed Mom and then get ready for the reaping. You should as well; it's in a couple of hours."

"Thanks Wynona."

I toss her a loaf of bread from the table, and walk up to my room. I splurged a couple weeks ago on a nice reaping dress, and I pull it out from my closet. After I slip it on, I walk over and admire myself in the mirror.

For District Three standards I am considered pretty, but I know that nobody in the Capital would find me attractive. My black hair falls in loose waves to my shoulders, and my dark brown eyes look almost black against my pale skin. It is hardly every sunny here, and even when it is, I am usually at the factory. My dress is a dark blue, with one strap, and a loose skirt to hide my emancipated stomach. The matching shoes are also dark blue, and are attached to my feet with a single strap.

I pinch my cheeks, trying to draw some color to them, but to no avail. Sighing, I accept that this is the best I will look, and walk downstairs. Wynona is eleven, and still doesn't have to worry about the reaping for another year. She will stay behind and try to get Mom out of bed for the reaping, so I walk into the Main Square and sign in.

Walking into the fourteen year old girls section, I run into my work partner and best friend, Cayn. She smiles and hugs me when she sees me.

"Copper, you look _gorgeous_!"

"So do you!" Cayn really does look great. She is one of the few people in the district who has light brown hair, and her eyes are the exact same shade. She is wearing a forest green dress, which stands out among the hundreds of dark colored dresses all the other girls are wearing. Cayn squeezes my hand.

"Are you nervous?"

"You know I am. I have sixteen slips in that bowl. You're lucky; you only have three."

Cayn grimaces. We usually don't talk about how she is richer than I am, because it makes her feel uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry," I say. "I'm just really nervous."

"Don't worry, Copper. If you get reaped, I'll volunteer for you!"

I turn to her and give her a glare. "No you won't Cayn. You have your whole family back at home. If you died in there, it would be on _me_ and I will not let you do that."

"Fine, I won't. You should just know that I would if you let me."

"I know you would, and you know that I would as well."

Cayn smiles at me. "I know you would. You shouldn't though."

I laugh. "Fine, I won't."

Our mayor, Cordin LaFlay, walks out onto the stage and the crowd murmurs uneasily, knowing that two kids are about to be sent to their deaths. Cordin blabbers on about the history of Panem, and how the Hunger Games came to be before he introduces Thalia Combe, our District's Escort.

Clearly trying to "fit in", Thalia has tattooed her skin in the pattern of a computer chip. Scattered, blinking lights coats her arms and legs, and she has metallic gold lipstick on.

She walks, annoyed, over to the females bowl, all while muttering, "Ladies first." She clearly doesn't want to be in District Three. Last year she was District Two's escort but, after she dropped the slip of paper she was about to read, the Capital transferred her down to my District.

She sighs as she plops her hand into the bowl, and grabs the first slip her hand touches. Pulling it out, she announces to the whole world, "Coppera Telle!"

I sigh, relieved. It wasn't me, or Cayn. Why is everybody looking at me? Cayn nudges me. "Copper, they called you!"

I realize she is right. Nobody ever uses my full name, and I hardly recognized it. I stare at Cayn in horror. She gives me a little nudge towards the stage. "You have to get up there. Don't worry, I'll volunteer."

Her words break through the fog that seems to have settled around my brain. "Don't volunteer; you can't!"

Cayn just smiles, and I walk towards the stage, worried that Cayn will actually volunteer. I reach the stage and Thalia mumbles very quickly, "May I present to you, Coppera Telle, your tribute."

A smattering of light applause moves through the crowd, and I feel faint. Thalia walks over and performs the same ceremony with the boy's ball, pulling out the name, "Gadjet Drive."

A seventeen year old boy walks up to the stage, looking terrified, but resolute. Thalia introduces him, and gestures for us to shake hands. I notice long scars running up his arms, and the same scars that mark my hands on his hands. He gives me a small smile, and I return it. Maybe we can be allies for the Games!

Peacekeepers lead us to separate rooms in the Justice Building, where we will be given an hour to say goodbye to the people we love. I think about Wynona and Mom, and realize the opportunity given to me.

If I can win this, I will not only be able to afford as much food as I want, but I will also be able to get the medicine Mom needs to get better.

Wynona tentatively peaks her head through the door, tears rushing down her face. "Mom was too weak to come."

"I understand. You have to tell her I love her."

"I will. You have to come home."

"Wynona, I love you, but we both know I don't stand a chance. There are Careers out there—Careers that weight twice as much as me—who would love nothing more than to stick me with one of their swords."

"Don't say that! You _are_ coming home! You at least have to try!"

A Peacekeeper pokes his head through the door, indicating that I only had thirty seconds left because I had another visitor. "Fine Wynona, I'll try. You just have to promise me to look away once the Careers get me."

"I'll look away then, but I don't think the Careers will ever get you."

I smile, and hug her. "I love you Wynona. Take care of Mom, will you? If I make it back we will be able to afford the medicine."

She hugs me back. "Right now I don't care about the medicine; I just want you home safe."

The Peacekeepers take her away, and Cayn comes in next. She hurriedly sits next to me.

"Listen: Your sister took most of the visiting time, so I have to make this fast. Copper, you are the best friend I've ever had, and I can't lose you. Now, I know you don't think you stand a chance, but I'm telling you now: you _are_ making it home. You have to!"

Cayn gives me a huge hug, and I cry into her shoulder. "Cayn, what if I'm not strong enough?"

She stares directly into my eyes. "Copper, you are the strongest, bravest, awesomest person I've ever me. I know you can do this."

I give her a watery smile, and hug her until the Peacekeepers come and take her away.

This might not be what I wanted, but I have to make the best of this situation. I will win this for me, for Wynona, for Cayn, and for Mom.

_**Gadjet Drive POV**_

I wake early in the morning when Fuze gets out of bed. The sun has not quite risen, but Mom, Dad, and Fuze are already in the kitchen when I go downstairs. Mom has fried four eggs, and Dad is buttering some toast, while Fuze sits impatiently at the table. I join him, and place my napkin in my lap.

"Good morning Mom, Dad, and Fuze!"

They all smile at me and Mom gives me an egg on a piece of toast. Stuffing my face, I turn to Fuze, who also has his mouth full of food.

"You scared for the reaping?"

Everyone in the house tenses up at my words, and I wish I could take them back. Fuze is fourteen. Last year his girlfriend's sister, Dayta, was reaped and Bella killed herself shortly after Dayta died.

It tore Fuze apart, and he has been extra terrified of the reaping ever since. Mom and Dad look at me, and Fuze slowly looks up.

"Yeah, I'm pretty scared. Are you?"

I mentally breathe a sigh of relief. I guess Fuze is getting better at controlling his feelings. "I feel the same. We both know that I would die early on if I was sent into the Games." I force a laugh to show that it's a joke, but the statement is sadly true.

Even though I'm seventeen, I'm fairly small for my age. I work down at the wiring factory, where I twist the wires together as the machine makes them. It sometimes wraps around my arms, cutting them deeply, or shocks my hands. Even though I look tough with the scars, I'm small and weak.

Everyone laughs uneasily and I return to my breakfast. For some reason, even though I don't try to, I always say the wrong thing at the wrong time. This has caused me to lose my only friend, Ajax, after I tried to make s'mores with him after his sister perished in a fire.

Eager to get out of the kitchen, I hastily shovel the rest of the food into my mouth, dump my plate in the sink, and head upstairs to get ready for the reaping.

My family isn't wealthy, but we make enough to buy food every day, especially with me contributing the money I make from the factory. I've worn the same navy blue shirt and black pair of pants ever since I was twelve, and this year is no different.

I walk into the bathroom at look at myself in the mirror. Everyone looks the same in District Three, with short, black hair, dark brown eyes, and a pale complexion. In fact, when we are standing outside in the day, a lot of us almost blend into the snow, leaving just a tuft of black hair behind.

I walk out of the bathroom to see Fuze, who is also ready. He is wearing a dark green shirt and black pants, and we look like twins. He gives me a shaky smile. "Are you ready?"

I give him a reassuring one. "We can walk down there together."

"Thanks Gadjet."

I yell a goodbye to Mom and Dad, who will meet us in the Square after the reaping, and we walk to the sign in table in silence. When Fuze signs in, I can see his hand shaking, so I walk with him to his section.

"We're going to be okay. Tonight we will meet back at the house and have some of that fish Dad bought last week, okay?"

Fuze nods his head quickly, almost as if he is trying to reassure himself. "Yeah, we will."

"Once the reaping is over, meet me here, okay? Don't move."

"I'll stay here, don't worry."

I pat him on the head and go into my section. Arriving just in time, I barely slip into the crowd before the Peacekeepers check to see that everyone is where they need to be. I zone out as our mayor steps onto the stage, choosing instead to admire the clouds in the sky.

You can barely see them, because they are almost the same shade of grey as the sky, but if you look hard enough you can see the faint outlines. Off in the distance, over by my house, I can see a flower. Directly above me is a Trackerjacker, and in precisely the right location, right above our mayor's head, is a giant pair of bunny ears.

I let out a little giggle, and everyone glares at me. Our escort, Thalia, has just picked the girl's name and it must have appeared that I was laughing about that.

"No, no," I stammer, desperate for everyone to understand. "Out mayor is a bunny, look!"

People look at me in confusion, and I look at my shoes in defeat. Thalia walks over to the boy's ball, and I bashfully look up, rubbing my red ears.

She mumbles, barely audible, "Gadjet Drive!"

That's… my name. Thalia just called my name to go into the Games. No, no, no, no, this can't be happening! I can't be reaped! I have a family, and a job, and… and a _life_!

I won't die this young. I _will_ make it back, no matter what I have to do. I'm sure I can find some allies if I need to. Stumbling, I make my way up to the stage in a daze. The girl who was reaped—I didn't catch her name—is staring at me, sizing me up.

Well, if I want to make allies, this might be a good place to start. When Thalia tells us to shake hands, I hold mine out to her, giving her a firm—but not too hard—handshake.

She has the same scars on her hands as I do, and I wonder if we work in the same factory. I give her a small smile and she returns it, looking away only when we break apart to go to the Justice Building.

Mom, Dad, and Fuze burst through the door not seconds after I sit down on the red couch.

"Oh my sweet _baby_," Mom croons as she wraps me in a hug. "You have to fight, okay? You have to promise to come home."

"I know Mom, I will," I say, pushing away the tiny voice in the back of my head that's telling me I can't.

Dad claps me on the back, his strained lips and red face telling me that he is holding back tears. "I'm proud of you son," He says in a gruff voice. "Now all you have to do is survive. For the past seven years District Three has had only Bloodbath tributes. We need to change that, and you will be the one to change it."

Fuze is standing off to the side, looking lost with tears streaming down his face. I stand up and walk over to him, bending down until our faces are level. "Don't cry. I told you before the reaping: We're going to be okay. That still hasn't changed. The night I get back I will buy you the biggest fish at the market, and we will eat it together."

Fuze sniffs, but his tears slow. "I'll be watching you as much as I can."

"Always know that I love you all."

Dad, Mom, and Fuze wrap me in a hug, and I cling to them, desperate to stay for as long as I can. Sadly, everything has to end, and the Peacekeepers wrench me away from them before I'm ready. With tears streaming down my face, I call out, "I love you," right before they close the door.

**A/N: Don't forget to review!**


	3. Unforgettable

**A/N: Hey guys, I know the reviewing has been weird for the past few chapters, and I don't think it will be fixed for about another two. I really hope people are reading this, and you will start reviewing when it is fixed.**

**On a separate note—I am looking for a Beta. If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please PM me!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter Three: Unforgettable **

"_I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too." _

― _Hugo Cabret _

_**Vida Heller POV (District Five)**_

My feet pound franticly on the cobblestone street and my heartbeat echoes in my ears. From a ways behind me I can hear the butcher's yells growing fainter, and I allow myself to smile slightly. Hugging the stolen deer leg to my chest, I make the sharp turn into the alley where I live. My foot catches on a loose stone, and I tumble to the ground, letting out a sharp cry of pain as my ankle comes in contact with the rock.

I hear the butcher's triumphant shout, and see him run closer to me, his double chins shaking and his meaty belly rising and falling with every step he takes. His apron still has blood on it, and his scraggly beard is unkempt and dirty. However, no matter how unappealing his appearance may be, he will send me to the Community Home if he catches me. That is not an option.

Picking up the meat, I brace myself against the alley wall and rise to my feet unsteadily. The pain in my ankle is immediate, and over whelming, but I manage to take a few steps. It is all I need. Pulling back a dirty grey blanket that blends into the wall, I reveal a small, wooden door. Quickly, I step through the door, pull it closed, and lock it.

The butcher's steps slow and then stop as he looks around for a girl who seems to have vanished into thin air. A couple of minutes later I hear him stomp away from the alley, frustrated. I let out a large breath of air, and relax my muscles. That was close—too close. I have to be more careful next time.

A light flickers on over in the far corner of the room, and Watt and Dina's worried faces are thrown into light. Watt and Dina aren't my biological siblings, but we have formed our own little family after each of our parents died. Both of my parents perished in an electrical fire seven years ago, and I knew I couldn't go to the Community Home. Children there are beaten, starved, and forced to take tereasse, and I knew I wouldn't last long there.

So, I started stealing. It began as a way just to survive but, one trip to the baker went wrong. Isaac, the baker, had me pinned against the wall and the people from the Community Home were on their way. Suddenly, a plank of wood came out of nowhere and crashed into Isaac's head. He crumpled to the floor and I was greeted with two pair of green eyes.

Dina and Watt took me back to this room, and gave me some water and an apple. Ever since then I have been their surrogate big sister, providing them with food while they get the water. They walk over and grab the deer leg.

"Nice," Watt grins. "We can make this last until tomorrow!"

Dina grabs some of the firewood in the corner and starts cooking the meat. I try to stand up to help, but collapse with a gasp of pain when I put pressure on my foot. Watt's grin fades and he bends down by my foot. "Did you fall?"

"Yeah, my foot caught a cobblestone when the butcher was chasing me. I think it's twisted."

Watt fetches a roll of bandages and expertly wraps my ankle. "Here," he says, handing me a washcloth soaked with cold water. "Keep off of it until the reaping and then I'll give you a crutch afterwards."

I give him a thin smile. "Thanks, Watt. You're a lifesaver!"

My mouth waters as the smell of cooking meat invades the small room. Dina pulls the leg off the fire and cuts off three small pieces. Watt frowns. "Don't we get more?"

Dina smiles and shakes her head. "After the reaping I can probably buy a couple of apples for less than usual from the market. You know how the manager gets on reaping day. Then we can cook those into a nice apple deer stew. We'll feast like kings!" She holds up an imaginary sector and adjusting her crown.

Watt and I laugh, and dig into our lunch. The meat is flavorful and juice runs down my chin. This is the best meal we have had in days! After we eat I wash our plates in a little bin we have filled with water. "Come on you two; we have to get ready for the reaping."

Dina and I playfully shove Watt out into the alley while we change. Being the only boy living with two other girls must be tough, but it's nice being with another girl like me.

I dig through the crates that act as our drawers until I find my reaping outfit: A black skirt that reaches my knees and a fitted, green top that matches my eyes. Slipping on some black shoes, I look at myself in the mirror leaned against one of the walls.

I look much older than my sixteen years. My red hair is out from its usual ponytail, and hangs in waves down to the small of my back. My cheeks are still slightly flushed from my escape from the baker, and I bite my lips, bringing some color into them.

Dina joins me at the mirror. We are both sixteen, but she looks much younger than me. Her wide, brown eyes and short auburn hair makes her face look rounder than it really is, making her look like she still has baby fat. She is wearing an orange dress that reaches mid-calf, and has a swishy hem that sways when she walks. They match her brown flats, giving her the look of an autumn leaf.

"Watt should be done getting dressed," I say. "And you look stunning!"

Dina blushes. "Thanks! So do you!"

Watt walks back through the door, dressed in a charcoal grey shirt and navy blue pants. I reach over and ruffle his hair. "Don't you look handsome!"

"Stop!" He complains, ducking away from my hand and fixing his hair. "We have to get to the reaping."

We checked in minutes later at the square, but then had to go our separate ways. Dina and I go to the seventeen year old girls section, while Watt breaks off into the seventeen year old boys section. When the mayor begins his speech introducing the Games and the escort, Dina and I made eye contact with Watt.

Suddenly, I was terrified. Not because I might be reaped, but because I was worried Dina or Watt would be reaped. Misty Qeun, the escort, prances over to the girl's bowl, shrieking in her shrill voice, "Ladies first!"

Digging her pink-painted claws into the glass bowl, she plucks a single slip from the bowl. Unfolding it, she screams to the cameras, "Vida Heller!"

Dina goes limp and falls against me. It takes me a second to process what Misty has just said. Me. She called me. I'm going into the 35th Hunger Games, and there is nothing I can do about it. I slowly make my way up to the stage, trembling as I stand beside Misty.

She faces the crowd, and shrieks, "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you… your tribute for the 35th Games!"

A smattering of applause sounds from the audience, and I move to the back of the stage. Misty walks over to the boy's ball and selects another slip. Her voice echoes in my ears, yelling, "Bolt Huxley!"

A fourteen year old boy walk up to the stage, eyes full of tears and visibly terrified. He shakes my hand tentatively, barely even squeezing at all, and makes his way to the back of the stage. Peacekeepers usher us to the Justice Building, where I will have a chance to say goodbye to Watt and Dina for the last time.

Without me, Dina and Watt will probably be sent to the Community Home. I'm the one who is better at stealing and they might not be able to get food. I can't let that happen to them. All my life, I've been their protector, and I'm not about to stop now.

I have to make it home to them, and I will do absolutely anything to make that happen. No matter what I have to do.

**Eicendetta Glowing POV (Capital)**

This is bad. This is _really_ bad. Lilith, my assistant, has just informed me that President Snow wishes to speak to me in his office tonight at five o'clock or—as people around the office call it—fire o'clock.

Sighing, I slide the tribute forms into my files, and close and lock my office door. I pass the Control Room, and wave at everyone inside. Strange—I don't see Leto, the Head Gamemaker.

Two Peacekeepers open the golden double doors and usher me inside where President Snow is sitting with his back to me. Hearing the disturbance, he slowly swivels in his chair and looks at me, his hands cupping his chin with his hands.

"Hello, Eicendetta. There have been some… complications in the current Gamemaker Staff. Leto has decided to… take time off to be with his family. You know what this means, don't you?"

I honestly don't. Of course I know that Leto has been killed, but I don't know why that includes me. I hope he doesn't think I had something to do with whatever Leto did. "No, sir, I don't know what this means."

President Snow stretches his bloated lips into a tight smile, revealing his scabbed gums and shiny white teeth. "Why, Eicendetta, this means that you are now the new Head Gamemaker!"

I would have rather gotten fired. Everyone knows that the only way out of the Head Gamemaker position is in a body bag, and I don't want that kind of pressure. I smile shakily and say as happily as I can, "Thank you sir. It is an honor."

"It should be. Tell me—how are you coming along on the tribute's profiles?"

"I'm doing well. District Five's results have just come in. The boy is nothing special, but the girl is rather odd. It seems that nobody in the whole District has ever heard of her, but both the baker and the butcher say she has stolen from them."

"Look more into that. If she is a thief, make sure she dies early on. It wouldn't do to have a Victor who is hated."

"Yes sir."

I turn to leave but President Snow stops me. "Eicendetta, I need you to do one more thing for me."

"Anything, sir."

"I need you to make these Games… _unforgettable_."

Back in my office I lean back in my chair, rubbing my tired eyes with my palms. Lilith comes back in and sits on the edge of my desk.

"I just heard the news. How are you taking it?"

"You know… the usual. I joined up with the Gamemakers to make a name for myself in the Capital but… as the years go by… it's all starting to see so… inhumane."

"You know you have to keep doing it, no matter how much you hate it. Here—the tribute analyses just came in for District Six. I thought you might want to take a look."

I grab the paper and look at Kiva Martin and Apollo Brunel. Kiva doesn't look like anything special, but something in Apollo's eyes makes me pause. He has a certain fire that intrigues me, and I'm going to take a special interest in him once the Games start.

Pushing aside my doubts about the humanity of the Games, I busy myself with improving the Arena design. Oh yes President Snow—these Games _will_ be unforgettable.

_**Apollo Brunel POV (District Six)**_

I've always been a fighter. At least, that's what my parents have said. Even when I was a baby I would wave my tiny fists, kick my feet, and bite people's fingers. Dad has a scar running from fingernail to the second knuckle on his pinky finger because of me.

Growing up I lost my fighter's spirit. I focused instead on making friends, and hanging out with my family. However, Mom and Dad still called me their little fighter.

Now I'm eighteen, and this will be my last year in the reaping. I've never been so happy to no longer have to worry about the Games. My twin sister, Artemis, has been saving for a dress for months, but I still don't know what I'm going to wear.

I thoughtfully search through my closet, selecting a silvery-grey shirt and black pants paired with black shoes. Walking out the door I bump into Artemis, who is in a silver dress that flairs below the waist.

"Look at us," I joke. "We look like twins!"

She laughs, and jokingly punches me in the shoulder. "Is there ever a time where you're _not_ making jokes?"

"You know you love it!"

"Come on, dummy. We have to get to the reaping."

Calling out a goodbye to my parents and my eight year old sister, Hestia, Artemis and I walk to the Main Square and sign in. We are directed to separate sections, but we are close enough to keep talking.

"Who do you think the unlucky tributes will be this year?" Artemis asks in a whisper as the mayor makes his way to the stage.

Last year it was Cooper Bale and Juliet O'Hare, who ended up winning. She came back from the Capital last night, an engaged woman to District Six's own Ian. She is now sitting tall on the stage, her ring glinting in the light and a smile on her face.

Our mayor introduces Shade Shadow, who plucks a slip from the girl's bowl without a sound.

"I guess we'll find out in a second," I whisper to Artemis, but her face has turned a pasty white and I don't think she is listening.

"Kiva Martin," She calls, and I freeze. I know Kiva—not well—but I know her. We are in the same class at school, and she briefly dated my friend Oliver. Of course I understood that the reaping was dangerous, but no one I knew had ever been reaped! Suddenly, the severity of the situation his me like a jet engine airplane as Shade pulls a slip from the boy's ball.

What if it's me? It can't be me. I may have the willpower to live, but I'm no good with weapons! The Careers would catch me and run me over like a train during the Bloodbath.

Shade calls out, "Apollo Brunel!" Artemis lets out a shriek, and I can hear Hestia start crying somewhere in the crowd.

I'm hyperaware of everything happening around me. I can see the small mole on the left of Shade's chin, and the makeup smudges from where she tried to cover it up. I hear the faint rumble of plane propellers and bells of the trains in the distance, and I am aware of the tangible weight my clothes leaves on my skin.

This is happening. I have been reaped. I have to kill children if I want to make it home to my family alive. I have to do this.

I stride up to the stage with fire in my eyes, and shake Kiva's hand firmly. She is shaking on the spot, barely standing, and I offer her a smile. Her eyes fill with tears and Peacekeepers come to take us to the Justice Building.

My parents have always called me a fighter. It's time I lived up to that reputation.

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Remember, if you are interested in betaing, send me a PM!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	4. Afraid

**Chapter Four: Afraid**

"_It requires bravery to do something no one else around you is doing."_

_Amber Heard _

_**Soya Till POV (District Eleven)**_

"Wake up, Soya! Wake up!" Sage squeaks in my ear, his voice loud and high. He shakes me vigorously, forcing me to sit up.

"Good morning!" He grins, beaming so wide his eyes close. I laugh, pushing my hand through his extremely short, dark hair. He laughs, pushing my wrist away.

"What's for breakfast, Sage?" I ask, getting out of bed slowly but surely. Sage bounds from the bed, leaping off the edge and landing on his hands and feet like an animal.

"Dad made toast and orange juice with eggs!" He exclaims, throwing his hands out as he brings himself up to two legs. He prances from the room, laughing and swinging his arms about. I chuckle, and then follow him from the room, through the hall, and into the kitchen.

My dad whistles a sweet tune, dancing around the kitchen as he flicks some eggs onto two plates. He twirls across the floor, setting the plates in front of us. He kisses the top of my head, then smiles down at me with an enormous grin.

"How's my Soya this morning?" He asks, pouring orange juice in my empty glass. When he's done, I chug down a mouthful.

"Good, surprisingly—Despite the possibilities of being chosen for a certain, gruesome death!" I laugh weakly, wiping my mouth with the sleeve of my shirt.

My father's smile slowly fades, and he shrugs. "They won't pick you. There's over... What? About-" My dad is looking for words when Sage cuts him off.

"About 3450 girls in the entire area of District 11?" He asks, pulling a random number from thin air. I've always wondered how he's been able to calculate or even guess such enormous numbers so quickly. Even at the age of 10, he's a math whiz.

"Exactly." My dad adds, sitting down with his own plate and gnawing on a mouthful of eggs. "Besides, your name's only been in there 3 times. What are the odds?" He shrugs again, then drinks some orange juice.

I look down at my feet and frown. "I guess you're right... But... I'm still sort of... Uneasy about it..." I say grimly, picking up my empty plate and taking it to the sink. I wash it off and finish my orange juice. A dark silence settles over us, making Sage shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"Uh... I think... I think I'll go get dressed..." I say quietly, rinsing out the glass, then placing it in the cabinet, and walking into my room. I pull open the dresser drawer, carefully picking out a flowy black skirt and a light blue shirt, and slip them on. . As I close the door behind me, I bump into a surprised Sage. He looks at me, tilting his head.

"Sorry. You look nice! Ready to go?" He asks eagerly, an adorable grin crossing his face. I nod solemnly, then follow him out the front door. He bounds down the dirt streets, leaving me and my father to trail him. When we arrive, Sage closes his eyes and turns away during the finger prick. I know how much he hates pain, considering how much we suffered when we lost my mother...

I step forward, letting the Peacekeeper jab my finger with the pin thing, then scan my blood. "Go. Next." She says robotically, brushing me away. I walk into the crowd, standing alone. When I'm satisfied with looking around, full of boredom in the hot, blistering sunlight, Sequoia Wells walks out on stage, shielding her eyes from the light with her hand.

"Welcome, District 11, to the Reaping of the 35th Annual Hunger Games!" Sequoia puts on her best fake grin for us, ruffling her snow-white skirt. She begins by viewing us the Capitol video, then giddily clapping her hands in her little white gloves.

"Let's begin, shall we?" She smiles and crosses the stage to the bowl of names for the girls, her eyes wide. She carefully plucks a name right from the middle of the bowl, returning back to the microphone. She looks out to all of us, smiling, as if expecting something in return. I look down at my feet, knitting my eyebrows.

"Now, your female Tribute..." She announces, pulling the slip open and pursing her lips. "Soya Till?" Although the words come out as a question, they pierce my heart like a cold, sharp knife. I blink hard, thinking maybe I can just die right here where I stand... "Come on up dear. Well, come on!" She urges me as I stumble from the crowd, everyone's eyes following me as I walk up the stairs and onto the stage. Sequoia smiles at me, gritting her teeth. "Smile for the crowd. We wouldn't want anyone to think low of District 11"

I stand frozen in shock on the stage, hoping in vain for a volunteer. Nothing happens. As Sequoia crosses the stage again—this time over to the boy's ball—I look out at the rolling green hills of District Eleven, my home.

Apple trees, studded with red apple specks, dot the landscape, and the sweet and tangy scent of oranges fills my nostrils. Wheat fields sway gently in the breeze and birds swoop low to grab parts of watermelons that sit, plump with juice, on almost every doorstep.

Sequoia calls the male tribute; a fifteen year old boy I don't recognize named Omri Bean, and we are shuttled off into the Justice Building.

I manage to get one last glimpse of District Eleven before the doors are shut and all I'm left with is my misery.

**Autumn Lindell POV (District Seven)**

District Seven could win the Games every year, if only all of us weren't so _stupid_. I mean, honestly—look at us! We spend all day out in the forest chopping down and carting away trees, and all night sawing them apart. There is no arguing it: we have the muscles.

Also, we are a poorer district, which means that most of the children here could survive on little to no food for about a week. We are all good with axes and knives, are skilled climbers, and have strong legs for running.

However, almost everyone in my district is stupider than the trees we cut down. Sure, they have street smarts—like knowing how to trade half of a squirrel for fresh milk, or knowing who not to pick fights with, but nobody is clever. That is, except me.

I know for a _fact_ that if I went into the Games, I would come out virtually unscathed. I work in the forest cutting down loose limbs from the top of trees before the tree itself is cut down. Over the years this had turned me into an expert climber, and fairly handy with a knife. When I throw the limb down, I have to be sure not to hit somebody, so my aim is very good. If I put my mind to it, I'm sure I would be very good at throwing knives and a bow and arrow.

I'm not good with spears, swords, or maces, but I assume the Careers will get to those anyways and I will be left with the knives and other smaller weapons.

I am jolted from my thoughts when I hear a branch snap close behind me. Instantly, I fear the worst: a wild dog, a Peacekeeper, a Trackerjacker nest, or even President Snow! I whirl around with my axe held high, only to come face to face with Ava.

Ava is my ten year old sister, and I love her more than everything in Panem. She idolizes me as well, and follows me everywhere. I should have known she would have come into the woods with me. I relax, and lower my axe.

"Ava! What are you doing here?"

Ava smiles, knowing I can't stay mad at her for long. "I wanted to help you!"

"I don't need help with this. All I'm doing is collecting stray branches. If you want to help, you should come with me to the market and help me sell them. You know people can't resist you cute little face!"

Ava laughs, and I hand her a bundle of branches. I walk behind her and stare at the small scrapes on the back of her legs. I'm guessing she got them when she was sneaking behind me, and had a run-in with a pricklypine, a type of tree that grows only in District Seven. The needles are razor sharp and, if they didn't bend, could be used as a knife.

I wish I could make the scrapes go away, but I can't. At least they aren't deep; only a little blood has been smudged around her legs. Believe it or not, Ava and I haven't always gotten along. After all, when she was born, I hated her!

For seven years I had been the only child growing up in a home full of supportive parents. Suddenly, I was forced to share that. I only got half of their attention, and I hated her for it. Once, when Mom and Dad were away at work, I locked her in her room. She almost overheated before she thought of crawling out the window.

However, as we grew up, we grew together. Now I can't imagine a life without Ava, and Ava looks up to me. She hangs onto my every word and I'm her role model. Sometimes I complain about how she follows me all the time, but I know I love it, and Ava knows I love it too.

Ava is ten now, and it is weird to think that by the time she is eligible for the reaping in two years, I will already be nineteen. I have to make sure that we are rich enough before she turns twelve, so she never has to sign up for tereasse.

I shake the thought of the reaping from my head. It's not for a few hours, and there is no need to dwell on it. My decision has been made, and nobody is going to change my mind.

The dirt road changes to gravel which tells me we are at the market. Wooden stalls line the roads, filled with everything imaginable, from fresh berries to decorative cactuses. Ava and I walk over to Jack, the person we usually sell our branches to. He builds little wicker chairs and baskets out of them, and sells them back to us.

On our way over there we pass a quaint little booth, white painted wood with little pink and blue flowers woven along the sides. Juniper Hazel used to work here until a few weeks ago. She is a living example that nobody—_nobody_—messes with my family.

A couple of weeks ago Ava wanted to get some flowers for Nana's grave. Juniper, thinking that she could take advantage of a little girl, charged her _five dollars_ over the usual price. Later that night I stole a whole rack of lamb and hid it in Juniper's stall. When the Peacekeepers searched everybody, they found it with her. Her market license was taken away and—last I heard—she was in jail.

Jack grins when he sees me, and smiles even wider when he sees Ava.

"Amber! I see you were out in the forest today! And it's always such a treat when you bring little Ava along!"

Ava smiles at the praise, and hoists her bundle of branches up onto the counter. "Thanks, Jack. It's always nice to see you too!"

Jack pulls out a small basket with a few crumpled bills. "The basket was made from what you brought in last week. I'll only charge eight for it so when I subtract that from what you brought in today… you get three dollars." Jack leans in as if he is about to tell us a secret. "I hear the baker is having a Reaping Day sale! Two loaves for a dollar. You two should go check it out!"

I take the money. "Thanks, Jack. It's always appreciated!"

"Anything for you girls. Tell your Mother I said hello!"

"Thanks, Jack," we yell over our shoulder as we make our way home. Ava slows when we make the turn to our house.

"Aren't we going to go to the baker's? That's a _really_ good deal."

"I know Ava, but we have plenty of bread at home. Plus, it's time to get ready for the reaping. I know you don't have to worry about it, but I have to be on time."

She frowns. "You think I don't worry about it? Autumn, I worry about you getting reaped almost every single night. I don't know what I would do without you. You're the best big sister anyone could ever hope for."

I set down the basket and the money and hold her tight. "Ava," I whisper in her ear. "I can promise you that I will _never_ get reaped."

And I'm right. I won't ever get _reaped_.

Ava sniffs, but I feel her muscles relax.

"Now," I say, pulling away from her and clapping my hands. "Let's go inside, give the money to Mom, and get ready for the reaping!"

A few moments later I find myself alone in my room, standing in front of the mirror with my reaping outfit. I'm wearing a cream colored tank top tucked into a forest green skirt with ankle high brown boots with a heel. My red hair, which I usually have pulled into a ponytail, is loose and flows in waves down my back. The skirt matches my eyes, and shows off my muscular legs without being too revealing.

Satisfied, I walk to the Main Square alone, knowing that Ava, Mom, and Dad won't be far behind. I see my friend Linda in the crowd, but I duck down behind another girl. I want to be alone right now. I'm about to make the biggest decision of my life, and seeing Linda could possible make me rethink it.

Fixing my eyes on my boots, I tone out the drone of the mayor and the squeals of the escort, instead thinking though my decision in my mind. I know I can win. Winning would mean almost absolute safety for Ava. I have to do this.

The escort calls out some name, and a fifteen year old girl walks to the stage, trembling. Little does she know, but it's her lucky day. The escort almost forgets to call for volunteers, but she remembers at the last second.

Taking a deep breath and clearing any thoughts of Ava, Linda, Mom, and Dad from my head, I throw my hand in the air.

**Eicendetta Glowing POV (Capital)**

"More reports are coming in!" I shout over my shoulder as my printer spews file after file on the reaped tributes.

Laiir, one of the other Gamemakers, scuttles back and forth from the Arena Monitor to the tribute's files, programming information about mutts, weather, and landscape based on what the tributes do and do not like.

Finally, the printer stills and I lean back in my chair, exhausted. "I think that's it. We have…" I do a quick count, panicking briefly before finding Soya Till's file on the floor under my desk. "All twenty-four!"

A quick cheer goes up around the room before we sober again. "Now," I say, businesslike. "The next big thing is the chariot rides, but the stylists have organized it this year. What we have to talk about this year is the training schedules. We need seven people present to judge—"

"Not it!

"Not it!"

"Not it!

"Not it!"

I glare at my fellow Gamemakers, none of whom look abashed. "Okay then. Like I was saying… we need seven Gamemakers plus me to judge the tributes. I guess, if we are going off of the choruses of 'not it's that went around the room, it will be me, Laiir, Mandukar, Aimne, Zeneth, Heborsy, Lyna, and Vinch."

They groan, and I frown, but I groan on the inside as well. Private Training is never fun to attend. It's just a bunch of malnourished kids running around with weapons they clearly can't handle. However, this year looks different. At least from the files I read, we have some promising tributes this year.

I smile slightly as I close my planning binder. These poor kids aren't going to know what hit them.

**~TrackerJackson**


	5. On Display

**A/N: To anyone who celebrates it, happy early Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah! Consider this my gift to you!**

**I decided to skip the train rides, because I find those tedious to right, so I skipped right ahead to the chariot rides. In this fic there will be seven main characters, and you will know who they are by the end of this chapter. If have decided to make this, Standing Alone, Torn Apart, and one other, into a trilogy. The last fic will be an SYOT, and you can start PMing me if you want to reserve tribute spots, but **_**please do not submit any yet!**_

**On a different point, I am 89.99% sure the reviewing problem is fixed, and it would really mean a lot if you could drop me a review! Enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter Five: On Display**

"_You can have a bad day, but as soon as you set foot on that stage it's joyous."_

_Glenn Tipton_

_**Mylar Poise POV (District One)**_

"Oh, just look at her, Hayther!" "She's perfect!" Wyno, one of the members of my prep team, dances around me, fixing and tugging at my hair. "We hardly have to do anything!"

I smile to myself. I know I'm beautiful, but it's always nice to hear it confirmed by the most fashion forward people in Panem. Hayther, the second member of my prep team is waxing my legs, and I flinch with each tug. Wyno has just finished washing my hair, and is looking for any split ends she can trim.

Strip after strip is pulled from my head and Wyno snips occasionally until she spins my chair around to face the mirror. "Just look at you," she beams, clearly proud of his work. "Almost Capital ready!" "Now… what are we going to do with your nails?"

I look down at my nails to see the jagged edges and the scrapes along the surface. They got scratched a lot during training, and I never really bothered to fix them. Hayther grab a small block from the table and begins scraping it over the surface of the nail. Occasionally, she will hit my cuticle and I will jump.

"Stay still," she murmurs, intensely concentration, and I try not to flinch. When she is finished with the block, she rubs some sort of oil all over the nail and lets that sit. When she wipes it off, I can see that all the scratches have been healed. Using another block, Hayther files the tips until I have twenty perfect, oval-shaped, smooth nails.

Wyno grabs a bottle filled with silver liquid, and begins brushing that over my nails. Tiny sparkles catch the light and let my nails give off the smallest of glows. It's beautiful. When Wyno finishes with my nails she has me place my hands and feet on a small, green, plastic pad with tiny yellow lights sprinkled over it. When she presses a button, a tingly sensation trickles though my hands and feet before I return to normal. My nails, which were wet a second ago, are now perfectly dry.

Hayther and Wyno walk slowly around my body, inspecting me for anything they might have missed. Finally, Hayther claps her hands. "That's it! You're ready for Katherina!"

I figure that Katherina must be my stylist. Hayther leaves silently, but Wyno calls over her shoulder, "You're going to do great sweetie!"

Smiling slightly, I pull on the thin, silver robe draped over the bathtub. Katherina will be here any second, but I hope she hurries; I'm starving. Sighing, I think back to what I would be doing back home. Vine would be at school, but I would have just finished with training, grabbed a lunch, and headed home. Mother would hopefully be home, and I would tell her about training before I went off to meet Gilt.

I can't believe Gilt volunteered. While I love him tremendously, I still plan on it being me who goes home. He told me that he wanted to be here to protect me during the Games, and I hope that means he wants me to go home as well. I know I am his everything. He's probably next door to me, getting waxed, primped, and dressed just like I am.

Just out of curiosity, I patter barefoot over to the far wall where Wyno and Hayther disappeared, and rapped softly on the door. Almost immediately the door opens and a strong, tall woman walks though. Startled, I back up, tripping over on the silver robe. The woman catches me before I can fall, and laughs, a high musical note.

She has long, curly, red hair that reaches the middle of her back, and it sways back and forth when she walks. Her eyes are a deep brown with tiny flecks of gold traced through them. I can't tell if she has had them altered to have the gold streaks, or if it is natural. She has a tiny tattoo of a mermaid on her wrist and smiles when she sees me looking at it.

"I used to be the District Four stylist last year. I thought I would stay there forever, so I got the tattoo. I know I can remove it anytime I want but honestly…" She waves her hand in the air as if brushing away the idea. "I just don't have the time."

"Why did you get moved from District Four?" I ask, fearful of what her answer is. She notices my nervous face and laughs again.

"Oh, it was nothing bad. A new man applied, Lewys, and President Snow just thought he would be better. Really though," she lowers her voice to a whisper. "I think it's because the two went to school together. Lewys has never been a stylist before, and I'm secretly excited to see what a mess he makes of things."

I laugh as well, relieved that Katherina didn't do anything wrong. Upon hearing my stomach let out a large growl, Katherina leads me to another door on the opposite wall. "I can tell you're ready to eat!"

Smiling, I walk through the room and am greeted with a crystal table piled high with various types of food. I see what looks like a large turkey stuffed with a creamy filling and drizzled with a light green sauce, tiny, bite-sized rolls with small vegetables cooked into them, an orange pasta with a cheesy sauce, and a chocolate cake covered in a honey colored liquid and freshly sliced peaches.

Finally satisfying my hunger, I sit at the table and start eating directly from the platters, ignoring Katherina when she tries to hand me a plate. I'm sure I look disgusting right now but, for once in my life, I don't care.

When I'm full, and the chocolate cake is about halfway gone, I lean back in my chair. Katherina looks at me with barely concealed disgust. "Now that you have finished… eating… we should get on with your chariot outfit. Follow me back to the Prep Room and we will try it on."

Excited to get a glimpse of my costume, I walk behind her, feeling the effects of all the food weighing me down. Back in the room, Katherina pulls back a panel and reveals a hidden closet, where one garment bag is hanging.

"Take off your robe," Katherina orders me, and I comply, slipping the smooth fabric off my arms and letting it pool at my feet like a puddle of molten silver. She hands me the bag and instructs me to put it on.

It is a long dress, reaching down to my ankles, but I can't quite get a good look at it until I go stand in front of the mirror. I look… stunning! The silver fabric is tight all the way down my body, until it flares slightly out at my ankles. Folds run in a spiral, making my already thin waist look even thinner, and bringing out my turquoise eyes. The resulting look makes me look strong, like an ice warrior.

I turn to Katherina. "It fits perfectly. Thank you; this is all I could have hoped for."

Katherina beams, thrilled at the compliment. "I had hoped you would like it. Here, don't forget the shoes." The shoes are simple, silver, flat shoes with tiny diamonds scattered around the toe. It throws off specks of light, but they are barely visible in the bright room.

Katherina appears to read my thoughts. "In the dark City Circle, you will glow."

"It's wonderful!"

"Thank you. However, you spent a long time eating, so I have to quickly do your makeup and hair before you have to go. Come in in this chair. Katherina gets to work, smoothing various crèmes and foams through my long, golden hair.

My prep team has already curled it so it hangs in spirals down to below my shoulders, so all Katherina has to do is make sure it is all perfect. After a few minutes of teasing and tugging, Katherina opens the far door. "Good luck out there. Remember—Chin up, shoulders back, and radiate confidence. The crowd picks up on that sort of thing."

"Don't worry—I'm confident."

Katherina smiles and I walk out into the hallway, where I meet up with Gilt. He is wearing a black tux with a shirt the same color of my dress underneath it. He simply dazzles in the light, and I lean into him for a hug.

"Don't you look dashing," I mutter into his ear, and he spins me around for a kiss.

"You look darling as well," He whispers after we pull our lips apart.

Hand in hand, we walk down to the stables, where our horses stand waiting. A few people are milling about, but nobody really stands out as a threat. When Gilt and I watched the reaping recaps from the train, we realized that this year is going to be easy.

Except for us, even the Career Alliance doesn't look that challenging. However, the fact that only one of us can go home lingers over us like a shadow, ruining almost all my experiences of the Capital. Still, I plan on it being me who goes home.

Gilt and I hop on our chariot, totally ignoring the other Careers. We know it's okay. After all, we are going to be the leaders, so they will have to do what we say anyway. At some point I have to bother to learn their names…

Our chariot starts rolling and we are assaulted with the flashes of tens of thousands of cameras going off at once. Everyone wants to get a glimpse of the first tributes in the 35th Games. Doing as Katherina says, I pull my shoulders back, toss my hair over my shoulders with a flick of my head, and smile with my chin held high.

Waving to the crowd, I hear people screaming Gilt and my name. Having an idea, I turn coyly to Gilt and wrap my arm around him, going in for a kiss. The crowd goes nuts when our lips connect. Flowers rain down on us, and I see we are pictured on the television hanging by the President's Mansion.

Gilt and I only pull apart when President Snow appears on the balcony, and even then I don't really pay attention. I'm too focused on trying to pull more sponsors, waving and making eye contact with everyone I can.

Before we depart for the glass elevator, I give President Snow a bold smile, letting him know that I'm more of a contender in these games than everyone else. We make eye contact and I resist the urge to shiver under his eyes glare.

The corners of his mouth turn up into a slight, sinister smile, and I flick my hair and walk away, trying not to let him see how shaken I am.

But honestly, it feels like all my confidence has been torn apart.

_**Vida Heller POV (District Five)**_

I love my costume. Honestly, I love it! Usually, being from the Power District, we are dressed in some corny dress covered in tiny, twinkling lights, but this year is different. Even though we look more like District Three, I don't care.

Bolt and I are dressed in neon green leggings with silver lines running up them, simulating a computer chip. Our shirt is the same pattern, but our capes are the cool part. Hundreds of different colored wires have been woven together, and then tangled artfully at the base, making us look like we are computer chips that have just been torn from a computer.

I was invisible back in District Five, the girl who snuck from ally to ally, stealing and looting. While I miss Dina and Matt like crazy, I'm sort of getting excited about getting my own spotlight. The Games are bad, sure, but at least it's giving me an opportunity to stand out, and show the Capital what District Five is really made of.

Several more people are starting to trickle into the stables, and I recognize a few of them from the reaping recaps. This year is a pretty weak year, me included. I just have to hope that nobody is as smart as I am; otherwise these Games would turn into one, huge battle of wits.

The two District Three tributes, Copper and Gadjet walk in, dressed in copper dresses and shirts. They don't have a bad costume, but it certainly doesn't make them stand out. Several tributes walk in that I don't recognize, until I see the tributes from District Four, Maria and Dylan walk in.

Dylan is wearing a turquoise, short sleeve shirt that is slightly too small, showing off his bulging muscles, while the girl is in a beautiful dress that fades from light blue to a darker blue as you reach the hem. Both of them are draped in netting, and the girl's blonde hair is done up in a braid that wraps around her head.

They look deadly, but not as deadly as the couple who volunteered from District One. I thought they were both insanely stupid. Why would you volunteer to go into the Games with your significant other? They clearly both know that at least one of them is going to die!

Because of the rather weak pooling of tributes, I have been unable to find many people I would want to ally with. The only person who looked even acceptable is Autumn, from District Seven. She looked strong enough, and she has a certain spark in her eyes that lets me know she's a fighter.

The moment I even think of that, Autumn walks through the door, with her District Partner at her side. Just like every year I can remember, they are dressed like trees. The boy has on brown pants and a green shirt with leaves on them, while Autumn wears a brown dress with red, orange, and yellow leave around the bodice.

I shuffle around my chariot for a few minutes, trying to work up the courage to go over and talk to her, when I suddenly realize: _I'm going to be fighting for my life in about five days and I'm too scared to go talk to another tribute!_

I almost laugh at myself, and I walk over to where Autumn is leaning against her chariot. "Hey," I say, and then immediately kick myself mentally. Hey? Who goes over to somebody they're going to try to kill and says "Hey?"

Autumn stands up straight and smiles at me. "Hey!"

I look at the ground for a second, trying to find something to say. Luckily, Autumn comes to my rescue.

"So I saw your reaping. You're Vida, right?"

"Yeah. I saw yours as well. Autumn?"

"That's me! I also saw another program later that night. The Head Gamemaker, Eldora, or something weird like that, was saying that nobody in your District knows you. Is that true?"

Wow, news gets around fast. "I wouldn't say that _nobody_ knows me. I have two friends, Watt and Dina, and they are like family to me. My parents died when I was little, so I didn't go to school or have a job. I lived in this little room off an ally with Dina and Watt, and we stole food and stuff from other people."

Autumn looks impressed. "So you lived for years by yourself—with no family—and managed to keep you and two other people fed? Girl, that's amazing! Your looting and sneaking skills will really come in handy for you in the arena! I live with my Mom, Dad, and my sister Ava. I couldn't imagine anything without them."

"It was lonely at first, but Dina and Watt really are my surrogate family. That's why I have to get home. Without me, they might get caught and sent to the Community Home. I know it's supposed to be a 'warm, helpful environment where homeless children can get back on their feet,' but they are just abused in District Five."

"Same in District Seven! You can see them as school, and my heart just breaks for them. Some of them are my sister's age, and I can't stand it."

Bells ring for us to get into our chariots, and I start to walk back to Bolt, who is still waiting in our spot, but I turn to Autumn at the last second.

"Hey, do you want to talk more during training tomorrow? I really enjoyed this."

She smiles, visibly relieved. "I would love that. Good luck out there!"

"You too," I call over my shoulder before the chariots start moving.

I've made a friend! I guess my "invisible girl" façade has been torn apart.

_**Eicendetta Glowing POV (Head Gamemaker)**_

Front and center, just the way I like it. Ive just given President Snow the go-ahead to open the huge double doors at the beginning of the City Circle, and District One will be flooding out any second.

Keeping my notebook tucked in my lap, I flex my hand, ready for the notes I have to take. Gilt and Mylar of District One ride victoriously out into the circle, dressed in silver dresses and silver suits.

"Strong, confident, silver, in love," I mutter, scratching down various notes about how they portray themselves. District Two rolls out next, with golden amour and long, flowy, red capes. While their outfits may be intimidating, Alana and Lewis will not make it very far in the Games. They are Careers, but weak ones at that and they are both small for eighteen. This all goes in the notes before District Three makes an appearance.

Copper and Gadjet, while nothing special, come from the District of Brains. If nothing else, I can expect them to set ingenious traps for the other tributes. Their mentors have reported to me that they will be allies, so I take that into consideration. They are dressed in neon yellow jumpsuits, studded with tiny, flashing, green lights. The whole appearance is unpleasant, and the audience basically ignores them.

District Four are dressed in their traditional turquoise colors, and their strong appearance and body gives them an extra cheer from the crowd. Districts One through Four have already gone, and I only have stars next to four of the names: Mylar, Gilt, Dylan, and Maria.

When District Five makes an appearance, I hesitate before putting a star next to Vida's name. She, like her District Partner Bolt, looks malnourished and weak, but Vida has a spark in her eyes that tells me not to count her out yet. She looks quiet and sneaky, but very deadly at the same time.

District Six rolls into the circle, along with Apollo Brunel, the boy that stood out to me at the reaping. To anyone else he would look like a bloodbath tribute, but there is something I can't quite place about him that makes him a threat. The girl is most definitely a bloodbath tribute, but her flaming costume makes Autumn from District Seven look nervous. I mark her name with a star, and write "scared of fire," to use later in the Arena.

None of the other tributes stand out as exceptional—or even above average—so I finish the night with only seven stars: Mylar, Gilt, Maria, Dylan, Vida, Apollo, and Autumn.

When President Snow finishes his speech, he leans over and whispers, "anything we can use?"

I look at the list, showing Vida's sneakiness, Autumn's fear of fire, and Mylar's hidden talents. "Don't worry—These tributes will be torn apart limb from limb."

**Me: Oh, I hope somebody will leave a review!**

**Mylar: They better! I spent **_**hours **_**in that Prep Room being plucked, primped, and prettied for them! I'm **_**not**_** going all though that for nothing!**

**Me: Mylar, calm down! Remember, the most important part is that they enjoyed reading the chapter.**

**Mylar: Nevertheless… If they don't review, I'll kill them in their sleep!**

**Me: *gasp***

**If you don't want to wake up to Mylar standing over you with a big, scary knife, you better review! **

**~TrackerJackson**


	6. Simplicity and Allies

**A/N: Don't forget to reserve tribute spots! The only ones taken are the girl from ten and the boys from four and seven. I'm also 99.9999% sure the review problem is fixed, so I hope you would drop me a review! I've been looking at the traffic graph for this fic, and it looks like only two people are reading. If you could just let me know that people are reading, that would be great! Thanks!**

_**Chapter Six: Simplicity and Allies**_

"_The most complicated skill is to be simple." _

― _Dejan Stojanovic _

_**Autumn Lindell POV (District Seven)**_

I wonder what Ava would have thought about the chariot rides. My costume wasn't _bad_, but it was the exact same thing District Seven girls have worn for 35 years. I stoke the bodice, feeling the sharp edges of the leaves and enjoying the sound of several of them breaking.

Small flecks of red line the floor from where the corners of the leaves have fallen. I'm sure when I wake up an Avox will have already cleaned it up, so I take a long, soothing shower, wrap myself in a sweatshirt three times too large for me, and climb into bed. I just want one more night of innocence, one more night before I meet everyone I will have to kill in four days.

The night is long, and I barely get any sleep before the orange glow of the sun pokes its head into my window, flooding the room with an intense light. Groaning, I sit up, my red hair messy and curly like flames licking up the side of my head. Heading to the bathroom, I brush my teeth, yank a brush through my hair as best as I can, and pull it up into a high ponytail. Flecks of green makeup are scattered across my face, and I wash them down the drain.

I step out of the bathroom and change into a forest green shirt with navy blue, stretchy pants. I slip into some comfortable shoes, and walk down the hallway to eat breakfast, even though my stomach is churning from anticipation. Today is the first day of training, and in an hour I will be thrust in a room with twenty-three people who want me to die. Serena, my mentor, has told me to try and make allies. I told her that I'll try, but I might not be too successful. I don't always make great first impressions.

Regardless of what I told Serena, I do really want allies. I already know two: Rowan, my twelve year old, tiny District Partner, and Vida, the girl from District Five. I spent all my time talking to her last night instead of observing the tributes. She seemed like everything I would ever want in an ally, smart, brave, loyal, and friendly. However, I don't know if she would want to be my ally. I made a pact with myself that I would keep Rowan safe as long as I can, and Vida might not want to be tied down by a twelve-year-old ball and chain.

I just have to walk in the Center with an open mind, welcoming personality, and an amazing proficiently at killing people. Staring at my food in disgust, I push some fruit around my plate before popping a ripe piece of cantaloupe in my mouth with a sigh. I know I could never waste food, even if I do feel like I'm going to throw it up later.

Rowan, who has just walked in the room, doesn't seem to have any of the same reserves as I do. Dashing from station to station, he piles his plate high with pecan studded waffles, cheese filled rolls, fruit tarts, deviled eggs, and glasses of orange juice, something called "chocolate milk," and tea.

Ava and I used to drink pine tea at home when we were home alone together. It started out as a stupid little game we played when we were little, where we would pretend to own a store and sell fake foods to people. We found wild chives and called them "onion grass" without knowing what they actually were.

We would boil acorns in hot water with the onion grass, lime juice from our neighbor's tree, and serve it to each other, giggling as we pretended to eat it. One day, on a dare, Ava did eat it, and proclaimed it delicious, even if it was a bit watery.

For a few years after that we would make up crazy foods and drinks from whatever we found in our backyard. Our biggest success was the pine tea. We boiled some pine leaves one day when we ran out of tea leaves, and found the resulting drink to be quite delicious. Ever since then Ava and I made it our nightly ritual, and no tea has ever tasted as good as the pine tea I would share with her.

I return to the present, and force myself to eat the rest of the fruit on my plate before standing up. "Are you about done eating?" I ask Rowan. "If you are, I'll wait and we can walk down to Training together."

He hurriedly shoves the last piece of pineapple in his mouth, and wipes his face with his hand. "Sure, I'm ready. Let's go!"

He bounds towards the elevator and I jog to catch up. Rowan hasn't seemed sad since he was reaped, and I wonder if he had already accepted his fate, or if he is just blocking out reality. I'm not going to let Rowan get in the way of me winning, but I still feel bad for him. No twelve-year-old should be forced into a fight to the death.

Seven floors later, the elevator dings and Rowan and I clamber into the deserted hallway where we see a door leading into the Training Center. Rowan walks right in, but I have to take a breath to steady myself before I push the doors open.

The noise is the first thing that registers. Rowan and I are rather late to the party; almost everybody is here, throwing spears, sparring with swords, and making fires. Rowan has already dashed off to the plant identification station, and I leave him there, scanning the room for Vida.

I see her over by trapping station. Walking silently over to her, I stand on her left side and deftly tap her right shoulder. Confused, she looks over her shoulder and frowns when nobody is there. Quickly, before she looks over her other shoulder, I make a silly face. She laughs when she sees me.

"Real mature, Autumn. I'm sure the other tributes find you _quite _the threat right now."

I laugh as well. "What are you doing over here?"

She grins. "I'm not learning how to set traps, if that's what you think. I'm learning more how to avoid them. Watch this!"

The trainer, who looks amused by us, instructs Vida to turn away. She does, and the trainer sets up a complex obstacle course of camouflaged traps. Even though I was watching him make them, I can't even see them once they are done. Vida turns around when he is done, and starts walking through the course. She pauses, and I see what she sees: a thin wire waiting to encircle her foot.

She taps it with her finger and springs back. The wire snaps, and coils around air, falling limply to the ground. Vida continues through the course like this, springing trap after trap, even the traps that I can't see. She smiles at the end, and takes a step forward… right onto another trap.

A second later Vida finds herself a foot in the air, dangling from a complex web of wires hanging from a horizontal pole.

"Come on," I say, cheering her on. "You can get out of this!

Vida doesn't look fazed. Instead, she peers at the knot holding the wires together, finds a wire three to her left, and pulls hard on it. Instantly, the knot falls apart and she collapses to the ground, free.

"Good work," the trainer says, nodding at her.

"That was amazing!" I say, rushing to her side. "How did you do that?"

Vida smiles a tight smile. "I guess I just got a lot of practice avoiding things that wanted to catch me at home."

I fall silent. Clearly this is something from her past that she doesn't want to talk about.

"So," she says, plastering a cheery smile on her face. "You've seen a talent of mine, now you should show me a talent of yours!"

I grin—finally, I get to practice. "This way," I practically sing, dragging her over to the axe throwing station. "I know it's pretty cliché, but I'm really good with axes."

I choose a small axe, about the size of my forearm, and grip the polished, mahogany handle tightly. Instead of aiming at the target, I aim at the sword fighting dummy, about sixty feet away. With a deft flick of my wrist I send the silver axe sailing towards the dummy's head. Vida sees it sail about a foot away from the target.

"Oh well," she says. "You should try again."

I just smirk at her as the axe head imbeds itself in the fabric of the dummy. That girl from District One, Mylar, leaps backwards as the dummy comes crashing to the floor right where she was standing seconds before.

"Watch it!" She yells furiously in our direction.

I just stifle a giggle and turn to Vida, who looks astounded. "That was… incredible! I though you missed it but then… It was all like… Whoosh!"

I laugh at her astonishment, and hand her an axe. "Here, you try."

"Okay, but just a warning—I'm going to be awful!"

"You never know! Just flick your wrist and let go just before your thumb faces the target." I adjust her grip and stand back.

Vida clumsily heaves her entire arm forward while snapping her wrist, causing the axe to fly a few feet before falling to the floor. However, Vida just laughs and tries again.

We spend a few minutes at the axe station—me practicing, and Vida failing. Finally, Vida and I move on to other stations. When lunchtime rolls around, we've been to the traps station, the axe station, the fire station, knife station, and climbing station.

I excelled at the axes, knives, and climbing while Vida was better with traps and fire. We balance each other out, and today just reinforced my idea that we should be allies.

When we walk in the room I see Rowan eating and laughing with the boy from District Six, Apollo Brunel I think. Deciding not to disturb them, Vida and I walk over to the trays of food. We each get a bowl of delicious, light blue stew, tiny apples the size of my fingernail, and a fresh salad with a tart yellow sauce.

We eat in silence, each of us too concerned with scarfing down all of our food to talk. Finally, after the salad, apples, and stew are gone, I turn to her.

"Hey Vida, I was thinking…" I trail off, not really sure how to continue. "Well, once we get to the Games…"

She smiles. "Are you trying to ask me if you want to be allies?"

I nod, grateful for not having to say it. "Do you want to?"

She grins. "I would love to! Hey, we both have red hair! We can be the Ginga Ninja Alliance!"

I laugh. "What the Panem is a Ginga Ninja? In fact, what's a ninja?"

She stares at me in disbelief. "You've really never heard of a ninja? My friends and I used to call ourselves the ninjas back at home because we would sneak around, taking food. Ninjas are people who are so good at blending in, they are basically invisible!"

"That's… Awesome! We are _totally_ the Ginga Ninjas!"

Vida stands up to clear her tray, but I stay seated.

I smile as I watch the rest of the tributes milling about the room, trying to make as many friends as possible, because I know I've already found one.

_**Gilt Wonder POV (District One) **_

Half of a day of training has already gone by, and I know I have to step up my game if I want to take Mylar down. She's been barreling non-stop though almost every station, and has been good at everything! Meanwhile, I've only been to the sword and camouflage station. I'm very good at both, but Mylar is a knife-wielding, fire-starting, rope-climbing maniac! Next to her I don't stand a chance!

Frustrated, I leap in the air and twirl around, smashing the blade of my sword cleanly through the dummy's head, cleaving it down to its shoulders. Satisfied, I decide to try some other stations, and head over to the fire-starting station.

The boy from District Twelve is there, and his eyes go wide when he sees me approach. I grin at him, making sure to use plenty of teeth, and he runs off towards his District Partner. Good to know I can still scare the other tributes.

A trainer appears, and hands me a bow of matches and a large pile of twigs and logs.

"Let's see how long it takes you to make a fire."

He turns away for a second to grab another piece of wood and, when he looks back, I've already made a fire. He tries not to look startled, but I can tell he's impressed. Next, he hands me a smaller pile of wood and a piece of flint. Again, I make a fire in seconds.

I spend a couple more minutes at that station, making fires just from rubbing two sticks together. Smiling, I head over to the spear throwing station. At least I know I have one skill I didn't know before.

Next, I head over to the spear station. It wouldn't look good if a Career spent all of his time at the survival stations. Although, I'm not even sure the Career Alliance will make it past the Bloodbath this year. The Careers from District Two are weak and pathetic, and the District Four tributes don't seem very interested in an alliance.

The trainer at the spear station hands me a heavier spear, with a silver, diamond flecked spearhead, and a long, silver shaft. I grip it tightly in one hand and shuffle my feet, angling it towards the target. Clenching my abs and heaving my arm, I send the spear sailing fifty yards into the center of the target.

I turn around, grinning, only to come face to face with Mylar. She looks like she is trying to hide a surprised expression, and I'm assuming it's because of my impressive display. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pull her close and kiss her head.

"Where to next?" I whisper into her hair.

She pulls away from me and grabs my hand, pulling me over to the knife throwing station. "We should totally try out knives! It's what I primarily trained with, and it'll make us look threatening!"

We reach the station and Mylar grabs eight knives, all shiny, sharp, and silver. She hurls them at the farthest target, but many of them miss. She doesn't get a bulls-eye and two of the knives missed the target completely. Yet, the tributes are still starting. Why are they afraid?

I take a closer look and am shocked. The knives have formed a perfect smiley face, with the two farthest points of the mouth embedded in the wall. Mylar looks smug, and hands me a knife. What is she doing? She knows I'm terrible with knives. Hesitantly, I flick my arm towards the target, but I can tell it's not a good throw. The knife barely sticks in the seven-point ring, but it's good enough that the other tributes don't disregard me completely.

We spend the rest of the day drifting from station to station, at least one of us excelling at one of them. Even if Mylar is better with weapons than me, I have a secret weapon. She still trusts me completely, and I plan to use that until I hear her cannon reverberate around the arena.

This will be fun.

**A/N: I'm sorry for the short/ late chapter. I had a test in literally every subject and I squeezed in a couple minutes of writing whenever I could. Review!**


	7. The Seven Stages

**A/N: Thanks to **

**Kongyroo1**

**AlaskanSalmon**

**Seanthesheep356**

**For reviewing. It's fixed now, and, as you can see, the reviews really do make me want to update faster. There are three POVs, and five tributes have a leading role in this chapter. It was very fun to write, and I hope you all enjoy it. Don't forget to reserve tributes for the next fic!**

**Chapter Seven: The Seven Stages**

"_There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief."_

_Aeschylus_

_**Apollo Brunel POV (District Six)**_

The first day of training was terrible. Cayflas Payge, my mentor, was off with Juliet at the President's mansion. She and Ian are working out the details of the wedding, and Cayflas goes off with them. I didn't have any advice going into training, so I just kind of floated around from station to station, seeing what I was good at.

Climbing and trapping went pretty well, but my most surprising hidden talent was sword fighting. I'm no match to Gilt, Mylar, Maria, or Dylan, but I'm fairly certain I could hold my own against any other tribute here. Today, my main focus is going to be finding an ally. I really don't care how good they are with weapons or survival skills, because I could feed us both with my trapping skills and protect us with a sword, but I want one that is trustworthy.

I've already eliminated the Careers, the girl from five because she looks crafty, and both of the District Twelve tributes, who are just honestly pathetically weak. I do have _some_ standards. I walk over to the knot tying station, where the girl from District Three, Copper, is struggling with a simple snare. I stand by the table and idly start twisting strands of rope around in my hands, forming double nooses, slipknots, karsnare traps, and more.

Copper stops and looks at me. "Wow, you're really good! Where did you learn all that?"

"Back home one of my odd jobs was setting up the ropes for the lines to get onto the trains. It was pretty stupid, so I taught myself to make knots."

"That's really interesting! I make wires in the factory in District Three. I weave the strands together, so I _thought_ I would be good at this but…" She gestures at the hopelessly knotted rope. "I guess not."

"If you want to see something _I'm _bad at, come with me to the knife throwing station. I'm surprised the trainer hasn't banned me yet; I almost took out his eye!"

She laughs, a high musical note that I could listen to all day. "Now this is something I want to see. Let's go!"

She walks off to the station, and I follow her, amazed at the prospect of actually finding an ally.

We reach the station and she picks up a knife. "Want to have a competition? First one to land ten knives in the target—anywhere on the target—will get to pick the next station we go to."

I shrug. It's not like Copper will be that much better than me, and it will be a good chance to find out about her past. "You're on!"

I also grab a knife, but notice Copper's coy smile. "Why are you smiling?"

"You see, I haven't been completely honest with you. I'm actually very good with knives!"

I make a face at her, but she just laughs, flicking her wrist and sending the knife sailing into the target, rather close to the bulls-eye.

"Impressive," I say, as I line up my shot. "However, not _quite_ as impressive as… This!" I flick my wrist as I say "this", and send the knife sailing sideways, towards the archery station, where it sticks in the outer ring of one of the targets. I hold my arms up in victory. "Count it! It hit a target!"

Copper laughs. "I don't even know how you managed to throw a knife perpendicular to where you actually wanted to throw it, but it was impressive so I'll count it. One to one!"

We spend a few more minutes throwing knives, until Copper trounces me 10-1.

"To the victor goes the spoils," she crows as she scans the room, selecting the station she wants to go to.

"Hey," I say, smiling at her. "I'm just happy I got one—even if I cheated slightly.

She laughs for a second before lighting her eyes on the poisonous plants and berries station. "That one," She exclaims, rushing off to it, her long black hair flying in waves behind her.

I trail close behind her, wondering if she is any good at plant identification. I decide to test her. "Another contest? Take turns identifying berries and the first one to "eat" a poisonous one loses?"

"I'm terrible at this. I just want to get better before the Games, but sure, why not?"

We begin pressing buttons on the monitor, and taking turns identifying the plants that pop up at random. "Amaranth!" I shout as the green, spindly weed shows up.

A plant with big leaves and purple leaves appears for Copper, and she struggles for a bit before she guesses Burdock. Each of us takes several turns before a large shrub with orange flowers and a vibrantly colored seed was given to Copper.

Hemming and hawing, she finally stuttered out "Kudzu?" The monitor flashed red with the word, "Dead," and Copper frowned. "Do you know what that was?"

"It was a Castor Bean. Even a few seeds can kill a full grown adult, so watch out for those in the Arena. Unless… you maybe want to watch out for them together?"

What I just said dawns on Copper a few moments later, and she smiles. "You mean you want to be allies?"

"Only if you want to."

"I would _love _to!"

She laughs her wonderful laugh, and I laugh with her as we continue on to other stations.

The day ends too quickly and we depart to our floors alone, but I spend the rest of the night thinking about Copper, the girl with the musical laugh.

_**Maria Tilt POV (District Four)**_

I lean against a beam near the wall observing the tributes. Sure, I'm good with weapons, but my real skill is reading other people. Mylar and Gilt are over near the knife throwing station, and Gilt is failing spectacularly. Mylar, on the other hand, hurls the knives with deadly accuracy. I'm glad we are allies; otherwise I would be in a lot of trouble.

Mylar and Gilt start talking, and I notice something interesting. Mylar seems completely infatuated with Gilt, but Gilt's body language makes him seem so… disinterested. Does he not like her? I make a mental note to find out and exploit the answer.

Swiveling around, I see Copper from District Three talking to Apollo from District Six. The boy is easy—he clearly has a crush on the girl, but the girl is hard to read. She seems to trust and like Apollo, but gives nothing away with her body language. I make a mental note to watch out for her, and continue watching the tributes.

The two red haired girls are off in the corner laughing while they race each other to the top of the climbing rope. They will be a close-knit alliance, but where is the seven girl's District Partner, Rowan? During the chariot rides they stayed close together and I assumed they would be in an alliance. Looking around, I see him with Gadjet, the other District Three tributes. They are talking, but neither of them seems too trustworthy of each other.

I remember Gadjet's reaping. He laughed when the girl tribute was reaped, but seemed too out of it to really realize what he was doing. Maybe he's insane. I mentally put a red flag next to his name, and move on.

That one girl from District Eleven, Soya, is nowhere to be seen. Where is she? I think back and realize that I've hardly seen her during the whole Games. I push myself away from the beam and begin slowly walking from station to station until I finally see her at the camouflage station. I gape. She has painted herself into a wooden wall, complete with a light bulb so realistic; I can almost see the light coming off of it.

I don't look away in time, and Soya sees me. She stands up and smudges the paint in the process, ruining the appearance. "Hey there. Maria, is it? I say your chariot costume—it was really cute!"

I give her a tight-lipped smile. "That's great."

I turn to leave, but Soya keeps talking. "Hey, do you want me to show you how to camouflage yourself? It's pretty easy once you learn how!"

"I can figure it out on my own, thanks."

This time she lets me leave interrupted, but I catch a glimpse of her hurt face when I turn back around. _Stupid, malnourished tributes, with their wide, pleading eyes_, I think. "Fine," I say, walking back to the station. "Show me what you got."

Soya smiles triumphantly, and gets to work. She starts with leaving through selections of various landscapes, before choosing a snowy landscape, complete with snow falling from the sky.

"First, in a white landscape, you have to eliminate the red tones in the skin." She grabs a green paint and begins blotting it all over in my arm. After ten minutes, she has given me a complete lesson, and has transformed my arm into a winter wonderland.

"Thanks," I say sincerely before walking back to Dylan. He looks at my arm when I approach.

"Look who's the camouflage queen," he says, punching my arm lightly.

"Actually, it was the District Eleven girl, Soya. She's pretty good with the paint, and apparently the bow and arrow as well," I say as Dylan and I watch her notch arrow after arrow with expert precision. "You know..," I say, starting to trail off. "I know she's from District Eleven, but she would be a _fantastic_ person to be in an alliance with. She's also very nice, and doesn't seem like the type of person to betray us."

"I agree, but Mylar and Gilt would never go for it. I don't think Alana and Lewis would either, even though they need all the help they can get."

I nod. The Career Alliance is weak this year. "If we can get Alana and Lewis out of the way in the Bloodbath, it would probably be pretty easy to kill Mylar and Gilt, and then find Soya. We would get the sponsor points, and have a strong alliance."

"That's smart. Do you want to talk to her, or should I?"

"I think I will. We spent awhile together, and I think she trusts me."

I walk over to Soya and explain our plan to her. Her face lights up. "You want to be in an alliance with you guys! I would love to!"

I give her a smile. "I'm sorry if I came off mean earlier. I'm trying not to get too attached to any of the tributes, because it will make it harder once the Games start. I don't want to see my little sister, Katherina, in any of them. I'm sure you understand; do you have any siblings back home?"

"I do—my brother. He's a twerp, but he's Alana and Lewis would either, even though they need all the help they can get."

I nod. The Career Alliance is weak this year. "If we can get Alana and Lewis out of the way in the Bloodbath, it would probably be pretty easy to kill Mylar and Gilt, and then find Soya. We would get the sponsor points, and have a strong alliance."

"That's smart. Do you want to talk to her, or should I?"

"I think I will. We spent awhile together, and I think she trusts me."

I walk over to Soya and explain our plan to her. Her face lights up. "You want to be in an alliance with you guys! I would love to!"

I give her a smile. "I'm sorry if I came off mean earlier. I'm trying not to get too attached to any of the tributes, because it will make it harder once the Games start. I don't want to see my little sister, Katherina, in any of them. I'm sure you understand; do you have any siblings back home?"

"I do—my brother. He's a twerp, but he's _my_ twerp. I really want to get back to him unchanged."

Piece by piece Soya and I get to know each other, before I call Dylan over. They hit it off and we talk for a while before we have to get back to Mylar and Gilt.

"I'm really sorry we have to go," I say, apologetic. "You know Mylar and Gilt can't suspect a thing. Remember—in the arena, hide inside the Cornucopia. We'll make sure Mylar and Gilt don't go in there, and you will have enough food and water until the rest of the alliance is gone."

She nods, and Dylan and I spend the rest of the time with the Careers, sharing secret looks whenever one of them turns their back. The Game is afoot.

_**Juliet O'Hare POV**_

Ian and I stand in the white marble lobby of the President's Mansion, anxiously waiting for President Snow to get out of a meeting. Cayflas, the other mentor for District Six, is waiting outside with the car. I told him to drive back and get Apollo and Kiva if Ian and I are not done in an hour.

Kiva is the tribute I'm mentoring, and I can honestly already say that she doesn't stand a chance. She's weak, shy, and tiny, basically ensuring herself a Bloodbath Death. I pity her—really, I do—but there's not much I can do for her. Right now I just have to concentrate on the biggest thing in my life right now: Ian and I.

He hugs me and I hug him back, burying my face in his shoulder. "I'm really excited to get married—so much so that I don't care what our wedding is like. But can you promise me one thing?"

"Sure, Juliet, anything," Ian says, kissing me lightly on the mouth.

"Since they didn't let us have a District Six ring, can we ask to at least have some copper coils hanging from the roof? It just wouldn't feel the same if we didn't have them."

"Of course you can have them. After all, it's your day!"

Ian and I whirl around to see President Snow standing there, his puffy lips forced into a strained smile.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I just got out of the meeting. Come back to my office, we can discuss details there."

We walk for a few minutes down a velvet hallway, with Ian and me sharing the occasional awkward glance, before we enter Snow's office. It's _huge_, with gold walls and ceilings, and large black pieces of furniture everywhere.

He directs Ian and me to sit in two black cushioned chairs, while he sits at his colossal desk. "So," Snow says, folding his long, spidery fingers together. "Let's talk about your wedding. Clearly everybody at the Capital is very excited about it."

I squirm around in my chair, unsure how to respond. "Yes…?" I finally say, and Ian stifles a laugh next to me. Snow's eyes flash dangerously, before they soften and he leans forward.

"Do you find something funny Mr. Earhart? I am not a person to cross, and I can make things very bad for you and your lovely bride, you understand?"

Ian gulps. "I'm very sorry Mr…Sir…President."

This time it's holding back laughter at Ian's apparent fear. President Snow, unaware of my glee, smiles again. "Because of the Games, I think you two have an option. You can either get married in three days, or you can wait for the Games to be over. I recommend the three days option, because it would allow plenty of time for you two to say in the Capital after the wedding is over."

Ian and I share a horrified look. Three days? Neither of us wants to get married in three days! I clear my throat and speak up. "Actually, President Snow, I think Ian and I would really prefer getting married after the Games are over. It would allow me more time to get ready and be with my tributes when they need me."

Snow's face darkens. "Do what you want, but remember—I _really_ would recommend getting married in three days."

Ian and I look at each other again. What would he really do to us if we waited two extra weeks to get married? It's not like it's the end of the world! Ian answers, "Thank you for your input President, but I think we would like to wait."

Snow rises, and shows us the door. "I see you two have made your decision. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some unfinished business to attend to. I hope you change your mind. If you do, the wedding will be ready in three days."

We turn to leave, but Snow stops me. "Oh, and Miss. O'Hare—I'm sure Sierra will want to come watch the wedding. Why don't you invite her to the Capital? I'll have my attendants make the proper…living… arrangements for her while she's here."

"Thanks…" I say warily. Sierra and I have only grown close together after the Games ended. She helped me face my demons, and gave her half of my Victor money. I know she would want to watch the wedding, and I want her to be my maid of honor, but the whole invitation seemed like a threat. I make a mental note to call her as soon as our tributes go to bed.

Snow closes the door on us, and Ian looks at me, fear in his eyes. "Juliet, you have to call Sierra _now_. Didn't you hear the way he told you that? She's in trouble, and you have to get her out of there."

I realize with a panic that he's right. We race out the door, bowling over Cayflas. "Sorry!" I yell over my shoulder, but I'm already too far away for him to hear me.

We reach my room and I grab the phone off the wall, frantically dialing the mayor. "Hello…Hello!" I say when he picks up.

"Hello, you have reached District Six. What can I do for you?"

"It's me, Juliet. I need to speak to Sierra Fawning right away. It's urgent."

I hear nothing but silence on the other end.

"Hello? Please, it's urgent!"

"Juliet. I'm so sorry. Didn't President Snow tell you? There's been an accident. I'm so sorry."

I hang up the phone. No, no, no, no… President Snow must have paid him to say that to me. There's no way that Sierra, my best friend in the world, can be... I sink to the floor and place my head in my hands. This is my fault. If I hadn't won, Sierra wouldn't be… It would have just been better if I killed myself before Cooper could die.

Ian places his arm around me and pulls me close. I can feel his body shaking with tears. I push him away. "NO!" I scream at him. "Don't cry! She's not dead! I can talk to President Snow. I'll do anything he says. He has to bring her back!"

Ian shakes his head sadly and tries to hug me, but I push him away and run to my room, sobbing. Sierra…

Kiva and Apollo get back, but I hear Ian talking to them before they walk down the hall, and they leave me alone for the rest of the night. Even Cayflas, who is notoriously bad at comforting other people, manages to steer clear of me.

In the morning I wake up, after Kiva and Apollo have left for Private Training, to find Ian in bed next to me, hugging me close. I snuggle closer to him, tearing up as I think of Sierra.

"Come on," he says, sitting up. "I know it hurts, but we have to call Snow. It seems that we will be getting married in two days."

**A/N: Me: Juliet, I'm so sorry for your loss! I know Sierra was a dear friend to you. What can we do to make it better?**

**Juliet: There's not much you can do, except review. I hear it's fixed now, and it would really make me feel better knowing that people are mourning Sierra just as much as I am.**

**Me: I'll see what I can do.**

**You all heard the girl! Don't forget to review!**


	8. Twist

**A/N: Thanks to**

**Kongyroo1**

**Seanthesheep356**

**For reviewing! I'm very grateful to them, but I'm really hoping more than just them are reading this. I know I'm giving a quick update this time, but I'm not going to update again before I get four reviews.**

**Please enjoy this chapter, but **_**please**_** don't forget to review!**

**Chapter Eight: Twist**

"_Why not show off if you've got something to show?"__  
__January Jones_

_**Eicendetta Glowing POV (Capital)**_

I sit at the head of the table in the Training Room. Laiir, Mandukar, Aimne, Zeneth, Heborsy, Lyna, and Vinch, the unlucky seven, sit by me. I groan, and hand each of them a profile for each tribute. This is my least favorite part of the Games. Twenty four tributes seems like so much more when all I can think about is the chocolate lava cake I have waiting for me back home.

Avoxes scurry through the door, arms laden with roast duck, creamy apple stew, and crisp salads with pumpkin spice sauce. Using the tongs, I take several miniature caramelized pumpkins from the silver bowl, and sprinkle them over the salad before digging in.

I let them eat for a few minutes before I clear my throat. Everybody looks up except Lyna, who keep eating the apple stew. I clear my throat louder, but Mandukar has to jab her with his elbow before she looks up.

"District One is up first," I say, holding up Mylar Poise's profile. "I know a couple of you watched her during training, and reported that she is very deadly—probably the deadliest of all the tributes out there."

Zeneth licks his lips. He never could resist the deadly, beautiful ones. Laiir smacks him on the back of his head, and I shoot her a look of appreciation.

"The Career Alliance is weak, and Aimne, I know you said Maria and Dylan have been scheming to break it in the Bloodbath. The only problem is that the Capital loves the Alliance, and Snow would be furious if there wasn't one this year. We have to make Gilt and Mylar seem threatening enough, that Maria and Dylan stay with them for at least a couple of days."

A chorus of yes's echo around the room, and I sit back down. The far door opens, and Mylar sashays into the room, oozing confidence. I look at her long, muscular legs, and instantly know she's a runner.

Almost all the female tributes are runners. Zeneth loves this, and likes to give the best runners higher scores, even if they can't do anything else. Sure enough, Mylar sprints around the room to the knife throwing station.

I pencil her name on a list I'm going to use for runners. She is fairly fast, but her real skill is in knives. Seven knives find their way into the bull's-eye, and everyone at the table looks impressed. Next, she grabs a spear, holds it with her mouth, and scurries up the climbing rope. When she reaches the top she lets go with her hands, dangles from her feet, and throws the spear. It sails past the knives station, and hits the nine rings on the spear target.

She sprints to the fire station, makes a fire, and sprints over to the plant identification station. Selecting several edible berries, she cooks them over the fire and eats them. Turning to us, she smiles and we applaud, Zeneth the loudest.

"Thank you Mylar," I say. "You may go."

Gilt Wonder walks in next, and heads over to the sword fighting station. Grabbing two swords, he engages in an intense battle with the practice dummy, leaving it in tattered remains scattered all over the floor. Next he walks over to the camouflage station, where he paints his hand into a forest, complete with the light shining through the leaves. For his finishing touch, he starts a huge fire that starts to heat the whole room.

I signal an Avox, who turns up the air conditioner, and yell "That's enough!" to Gilt. He extinguishes the fire, and leaves the room. While we wait for the Avoxes to clean the singed station, I try to get my fellow Gamemakers to focus enough to start assessing Mylar and Gilt.

"Clearly Mylar was the better of the two," I say as I look at my sheet. "I think she should get a ten. Does anybody object?"

Zeneth speaks up. "I think she did even better than that. I would give her an eleven."

Laiir smacks him again. "Mr. Creep over here only liked her because she ran. The tabloids are saying that Autumn from District Seven is the prettiest of all, so he'll probably want to give her a twelve. I agree with Eicendetta—She should get a ten."

Aimne, Mandukar, Heborsy, Lyna, and Vinch agree with me, so we move on to Gilt.

"I think he should honestly get an eight, but Maria and Dylan wouldn't find that threatening at all. He should be lower than Mylar, so I would go for a nine." Surprisingly, everybody agrees—including Zeneth.

I signal the Avoxes to leave the room, and call in Alana Stone. She enters, and walks over to the archery station. She is mediocre, but is a faster runner than Mylar. Her District Partner, Lewis Caprice, isn't much better than Alana. He fumbles around for a while spear, but excels at first aid. I mark them both down for a hesitant seven, and call in Copper Telle.

She walks in hesitantly, but quickly sprints over to the knife station. She is faster than Mylar, but not quite as fast as Alana. However, Mylar was better than Copper with knives. Out of ten thrown knives, seven of them are bulls-eyes, and three of them are in the nine point section. She then identifies several poisonous plants, but messes up on two of them.

I'm guessing she'll be in the six or seven range. Her District Partner, Gadjet Drive, is perfectly awful at everything he tries. He cuts himself while trying to use a sword, and them botches it while trying to fix it himself. I cut his session short, and signal for an Avox to take him to the medical station.

Maria Tilt comes in next, and dominates the spear and trident stations, like every District Four tribute. However, she does something unexpected. About halfway through her session, she sprints over to the camouflage station and paints her arm into a snowy landscape. She is actually pretty good, and I wonder where she would have ever seen snow in District Four. She is the slowest sprinter of all, but I think her skills will still get her a good score.

Dylan is extraordinary with a sword—better than Gilt—but he has no other real skill so I pencil him down for an eight.

While the Avoxes clean up after the Careers, we make a list of the scores. After we shoot Zeneth down when he suggests giving Maria a twelve, we end up giving Mylar a ten, Gilt a nine, Copper a six, Gadget a three, Maria a ten, and Dylan an eight.

Satisfied, I call in Vida Heller. She sprints over to the traps station, and I am impressed by her speed. She is the fastest so far, and I pencil her name above Alana's. Her fingers fly as she weaves complicated traps and trips them one by one without getting trapped. We applaud her as her District Partner is sent in, but my mind is more focused on the strawberry sorbet the Avoxes have sent in. I watch just enough to know that he is not very good, and the District Six girl is sent in.

I look blearily at the sheet and see her name is Kiva. She flounders around for a bit before we dismiss her, and I write her name by the District Five boy. Apollo walks in next and I force myself to focus. The star by his name is still there, and I want to see what he can do.

Surprisingly, he sprints faster than Alana, but slower than Vida. Usually the boys aren't very fast, but I write his name down anyways. He, like Vida, is very good with traps but he also excels as plant identification. I write his name down just above Vida's.

Autumn comes through the door next, and I see Zeneth sit up straighter out of the corner of my eye. I also hear Laiir hit him. Autumn picks up an axe, and hurls it across the room, through the climbing rope, and into the center of the archery target. I put my spoon in the bowl, and turn to watch her. She is quite impressive. Just slower than Alana, she sprints over to the broken climbing rope and ties it back together with a complicated knot. We all applaud her when her turn is up, and I pencil her in by Dylan.

The next few tributes are very unimportant, and I notice them just enough to see they are nothing impressive, so I pencil them in at the bottom. However, when I look up a few minutes later, the room seems later. I lean over and nudge Heborsy.

"What's going on? Where's the tribute."

She shoots me a sympathetic smile. "I know it's hard to focus. Don't worry; we're on the District Eleven girl, Soya. It's almost over. She's nothing special, but she's incredible at camouflage. Look at the station. It's pretty boring, but she's just standing there."

I look and see her, almost completely blended into the wall. Sure, it's cool, but it gets boring after a while. I can sense Zeneth getting restless. He likes to see the girls. I dismiss her, and pencil her in for about a five.

The next three tributes are boring; none of them get above a four. When they leave, I force myself to wake up and talk about scores.

"We already have the Careers sorted out, but we have to figure out the rest of them. I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired and want to get home, so let's just pick a score and use it. This is the sheet I have."

I show them the paper. I give Vida a seven, her District Partner a two, Kiva a two, Apollo an eight, Autumn a seven, and her District Partner a four. The tributes from Eight, Nine, and Ten all get twos, and Soya gets a five. Her District Partner and the Twelve tributes get ones.

The Gamemakers nod sleepily, and I take one last bite of my almost melted sorbet. "Okay, then I'm going to go give this to President Snow. I'll see you all tomorrow for the interviews."

I hate the Private Training sessions!

_**Mylar Poise POV (District One)**_

I cuddle with Gilt on the couch to watch the scores.

I'm up first, and I see my face appear on the screen with the big number ten under it. I smile. Looks like I'm still on top.

_**Gilt Wonder POV (District One)**_

Mylar got a ten. Wow. Sure, I got a nine, but that one number could make all the difference. I know I didn't deserve the nine, and I still don't know why the Gamemakers gave it to me. I've got to watch out for Mylar.

I snuggle her close. Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.

_**Copper Telle POV (District Three)**_

I'm thrilled! A six?! I never thought I could score that high. I feel bad for Gadjet with his three, but I can't afford to pity him. I'm in this for the long haul. I just hope Apollo scores high as well.

_**Maria Tilt POV (District Four)**_

I share a frightened look with Dylan. Mylar and Gilt both scored well. Sure, I also got a ten, but Dylan only got an eight. Maybe we should stay with them for at least a while.

_**Dylan Flao POV (District Four)**_

I'm fairly disappointed by my eight. I thought I was pretty good. Whatever. I just have to shrug this off. I'll show them who the best is when I win the Games.

_**Vida Heller POV (District Five)**_

Yes! A seven! So far I've scored the highest of all the non-Career tributes! I wish we were allowed up to the seventh floor so I could talk to Autumn.

_**Apollo Brunel POV (District Six)**_

I top all the non-Career tributes with my eight. This is great. Both of us scored well. I can't wait to see what her outfit looks like tomorrow.

_**Autumn Lindell POV (District Seven)  
**_Yes! Vida and I both did very well, both scoring seven. These games won't be fun, but at least I have someone to share it with.

_**Soya Till POV (District Eleven)**_

A five? Really? I thought I did a really good job with the camouflage. I guess they'll just see—or _not_ see—how much of a contender I am in these games once I'm with Maria and Dylan.

_**Juliet O'Hare POV (District Six)**_

I only got out of my bed today to watch Kiva's score, a two. This is by far the worst thing anybody has ever done to me. This is worse when the Careers killed Jasmine, or Oscar, or even Cooper. This is worse than everything.

Sierra has been my best friend since… ever. I can't imagine a world without her. How am I going to go through with this wedding if she's not there to calm me down? It's too painful to think about the good memories we had together, like in seventh grade when we released goats through the school with the numbers one, two and four painted on the sides. It's too painful to think about the time we decorated Ian's aircraft with ribbons, and he flew it across the sky, streams of blue and gold trailing from the wings.

I roll over and press my already soggy pillow to my face. Ian rubs my back. "Are you doing okay?" He asks, running his fingers through my hair.

"I will be… I'm just not right now."

"I understand. I talked to Snow, and we are getting married in two days. I understand this is a lot of pressure, but he told me you need to pick bridesmaids. I'm so sorry about this but… we can't have anything else go… wrong."

I press my fingers into my closed eyelids. "I can't do this, Ian."

"I know you can. I'll be there the whole time. If you need to, we can just ask random people on the street."

I don't answer. I need a moment to think about this. I never really imagined doing this without Sierra. "I'm sorry… Can I just… Be alone right now?"

"Sure, sweetie. I'll go to the roof with the tributes and show them the skyline."

"Thanks. You're the best."

He leaves and I curl up on the bed, leaning over to order some chocolate ice cream from the mouthpiece on the wall.

A couple seconds later, a knock on the door wakes me out of my stupor, and I go over to answer it. A woman—girl really—is standing there.

"Excuse me," I say. "I ordered some ice cream? Oh, I'm sorry, you can't talk." I'm still not quite used to Avoxes, and I always ask them questions that they can't answer.

The girl looks up, and I see her face, framed with curly blonde hair, and dark green eyes. Her eyes look scared, but I see the girl I knew buried deep inside.

"Sierra?!"

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the little twist at the end! PLEASE don't forget to review, it means the world to me! See you all in four reviews!**

**Me: Do you think the whole 'four review' thing is a bit harsh?**

**Apollo: I don't think so. I really want to know what people think about Copper and I. Are we cute together? Does she like me?**

**Me: I already told you, yes, you are cute together!**

**Apollo: I just want to know what other people think!**

**Me: So do I! I really hope people review!**


	9. Smiles

**A/N: I would like to give a big thank you to**

**AlaskanSalmon**

**Kongyroo1**

**Seanthesheep356 **

**For reviewing. I was home sick today, and I had a lot of time to write. The four review thing was stupid, and I'm sorry. Like every writer, I really care about reviews, but the most enjoyable thing for me is writing each chapter. It would be really nice if y'all would review, but I will keep updating even if you don't.**

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

_**Chapter Nine: Smiles**_

"_Too many people spend too much time trying to perfect something before they actually do it. Instead of waiting for perfection, run with what you go, and fix it along the way…" _

― _Paul Arden_

"Sierra!?"

I step through the threshold of the door and grab her shoulders, partly to steady myself, and partly to ensure that the girl standing before me is, in fact, Sierra.

"Quiet," she whisper-yells. "Go back inside. I have a lot I have to tell you."

In a daze, I walk back through the door after her, locking it behind us. She leads me to the couch, and I realize I'm crying again. "I thought you were dead!"

"Snow still does, so I can't stay long. Apparently you didn't do something he wanted, so I was walking back home when something in my house burst, and the house went up in flames. I'm sure people will dismiss it as an accident, but we don't have any pipes or wires in our house. Juliet, he was trying to _kill_ me!"

"I know, and it's all my fault. We disagreed over a _stupid_ little detail, and he… he did this! But it's okay now. You're safe, and Snow is none the wiser."

"Actually, that's what I came to talk to you about. I watched from the forest as they started searching the house. By now they will have figured out I'm not there. You have to help me!"

Sierra's eyes are wide and panicked, and I start pacing. "I know a guy—he was the one that gave me facial reconstruction when I came out of the arena. Staying with me will only alert Snow to your presence, so I'll show you how to get there, but then we have to communicate in secret. Change your face. Here—" I stuff a couple bills into her hand. "Take this. Go with more of a natural district look, but make yourself look completely different. And Sierra—be safe!"

We exchange a hug and she runs back out the door. I collapse back onto the couch and massage my temples. What is going on? I'm thrilled I have Sierra back, but I feel as if I have put her in more trouble now than she was before. When this is all over she might have preferred to die in the fire.

Ian walks back in the room and sees me. "Look, you got out of bed! Good for you!"

"Ian—"

"People always told me it would take a while for you to heal but…"

"Ian—"

"I knew you could do—"

"IAN! Sierra's alive. I just talked to her. Snow is after her, but I gave her Fladicus' number, you know, the face dude, and he will help her get disguised."

Ian stares at me, dumbfounded. "You know there's only one option. Snow won't be fooled by a disguise. As soon as Sierra gets back, you know what we have to do.

"What?"

"We run."

_**Copper Telle POV (District Six)**_

Lavid, my stylist, has just finished putting the finishing touches on my interview dress. Leading me over to the mirror, she covers my eyes with her hands. "I was up all week working on this," she squeaks, lowering her hands.

I gasp, and run my hands down my dress, relishing in my beauty. She has smeared some makeup over my already pale face to make it look even paler, which makes by black hair and eyes the center of attention. My dress, which starts off as black near the top, fades into a golden color near the bottom. There is no fabric, only thousands of wires stitched painstakingly together to form the bodice and skirt.

"I love it," I say to Lavid, who looks pleased. "It's exactly what I wanted!"

"I'm glad I could help," she says, bending a loose hair back into its curl. "Now you better get downstairs. The interviews will be starting soon. Have you and your mentor decided on an angle yet?"

"Yeah. I'm going to come off as sweet and innocent. She says that, since I got a relatively high score, it will leave people wondering what my skill is."

"Good luck out there. If you need to look at me, I'll be sitting with the other stylists."

"Thanks."

I walk out the door in my bronze heels, careful not to tangle any of the wires on my dress. I'm not sure where Gadjet is—maybe still with his stylist—so I walk down to the waiting room alone. A couple of tributes are already milling about, and Peacekeepers are stationed at the door to keep people from leaving.

I notice Apollo standing by himself over near the far wall. I smile. Why am I smiling? I test it again. _Apollo_. Smile. NO! I shake my head to clear my thoughts, and walk over to Apollo. Smile.

"Hey!" He says when he sees me, blushing slightly. He is dressed in a navy suit with a chrome colored shirt that reflects the light.

"Hey look," I say, pointing to it. "We're wearing the same dress. Oh wait, no, that's just my dress reflected in your shirt!"

We laugh, and he points at my dress. "I'm glad you're not wearing my shirt. You look really cute in that dress."

I blush. Is he flirting with me? He's flirting with me. Apollo is flirting with me. Smile. NO!

Two can play at this game. I reach over and run my fingers along his collar. "You look really good in your suit."

Apollo blushes. "What angle are you going to do for your interview? Apparently I'm 'dashing and mysterious.'"

I giggle. It's so hard to picture Apollo as mysterious; he's such an open book. "Why on Panem would your mentor find you mysterious?"

He shrugs. "Cayflas is hardly ever around. Because of Juliet and her wedding, and then apparently something happened to her last night because she wouldn't leave her room."

"That's too bad. I have to pull off sweet and innocent. It shouldn't be too hard. I'm so nervous I might not even be able to talk!"

Apollo laughs, and touches my arm. "Don't worry, you'll do fine. I'll be rooting silently for you back by the seats."

"Same here!"

Peacekeepers start coming around and organizing us in a line, based on District, so I move over by Gadjet, even though I'm still thinking about Apollo. Blush, Smile. NO! Do I like him? I think I like him. I don't want to like him!

While I wait for everyone else to get situated, I make a list in my head.

Reasons it would be okay to like Apollo:

The Sponsors would eat it up

Wynona would love it if I dated somebody

Apollo makes me smile, and blush, makes me be myself, laugh, and he is super cute

It would be nice to have someone with me in the Games that I could trust unconditionally

Reasons it would not be okay to like Apollo:

We're in the Hunger Games; One—maybe both—of us is going to die!

The line begins moving and I am forced to abandon my list. It doesn't matter though, because I've already made a decision.

When we reach the stage Gadjet and I sit in our seats. I'm next to him, and Lewis, the District Two boy. He shoots me a nervous smile, and I return it hesitantly. Lewis and his District Partner, Alana, seem almost… human. I would actually be surprised if District Two made it past the bloodbath this year. Why did they let such weak tributes volunteer?

Caesar Flickerman, the host, walks out onto the stage, dressed in a surprisingly tasteful shade of orange. Yes, it is extravagant, but at least it is more toned down then last year's color: metallic gold.

The crowd goes nuts, screaming and whistling as Caesar waves and blows kisses at them. He has such charm; I wish I was as good with people as he is. I remember Pasa's words to me when we were discussing the interviews. "If you feel like you can't be sweet, become someone who is."

Sure enough, they calm me down, and I begin thinking of how I'm going to pull this off. In actuality, I'm a rather sarcastic, down to earth person, who doesn't do sweet very well. However, Wynona is the queen of sweetness; everyone loves her back home. I picture her face, almost identical to mine. To do well in these interviews, I have to become her.

Caesar invites Mylar up, and I try to focus on what she's saying. It's hard to concentrate through my nerves, but I hear her talking about her score, her skills, and her love for Gilt. Gilt says almost the exact same thing when he is called up, and they both get big reactions from the crowd.

Alana is up next, and she talks about her family, trying to tug at the heartstrings of the Capital. However, they want to see bloodthirsty Careers, so not many people are cheering when she walks off the stage. Lewis, who turns out to be surprisingly funny, makes jokes the whole time he is up there. Caesar helps when he can, and Lewis walks off the stage with a surprisingly loud cheer.

Holy Panem—I'm up. Through the blood rushing in my ears I can vaguely make out Caesar calling me up, and I look at the timer. Three minutes—I have to be my sister for only three minutes. I can do this.

Taking a deep breath, I walk to the chair in the center of the stage, careful not to trip over any wires from my dress. Caesar gives me a big grin when he sees me.

"Copper Telle, District Three's own Little Miss Six."

I smile, unsure how to respond to that.

"You must be pretty proud of that score. How'd you do it?"

This is it, the question I've been dreading. I can't give anything away about my skills with knives. What would Wynona say? "Well, Caesar, I didn't really learn much back home in the factory, but the Gamemakers were really nice!"

There—distract them away from my score by complimenting the Capital. I see some of the Gamemakers exchanging smug glances.

"Do you have any family back home who will be celebrating your success right now?"

Of course I don't! No loving family would ever be celebrating when their child is in the Games! "I do!" I say sweetly, resisting the urge to yell. "My sister, Wynona, and my mom. They are probably at home right now. I love you!" I say into the camera, and the crowd sighs.

"My mom is really sick. She is only a few weeks away from death, and I need to win to get her the medicine."

The crowd sighs again, and I slip a glance at the timer—Thirty seconds left.

"Well, Copper, do you have anyone special at home?"

Shoot. I had been hoping to avoid this question.

"No, nobody at home." I say. Maybe Caesar won't try to elaborate. No such luck.

"If you have nobody at home, then you must at least have the heart of someone in this fine batch of tributes. You have a boyfriend or something?"

In the last three seconds I steal a look at Apollo, who is staring at me, and then turn back to Caesar. "Maybe something." The crowd goes wild, and I leave the stage thinking of Apollo, smiling and blushing at the same time.

_**Vida Heller POV (District Five)**_

There is no way anybody can top Copper. I'm furious! She completely stole my sweet and innocent angle! And that little surprise announcement at the end… everyone in Panem will want to sponsor her! I have to change my tactic. After all, I probably wouldn't be able to pull innocent off.

Dylan is up now, talking about his two brothers back home, and I only have a minute to come up with something new. Shy? Clever? No…

The buzzer sounds and the Capital cheers as I walk slowly out onto the stage.

"Hi there Vida!" Caesar chirps and I cringe. His voice is like a shrill whistle amplified a million times by the microphone.

"How are you enjoying the Capital so far?"

My first question. How I respond to this will decide what my angle is for the rest of the interview.

"It's pretty amazing. I've already been up to the roof at the Tribute Center, and the view is amazing! The Capital truly is a beautiful city!"

The crowd cheers in agreement, and I smile slightly. Huh. Likeable. Who know I could pull that off?

Caesar nods his agreement. "That feeling doesn't go away. I've lived here since I was born, and I still stare in amazement every time I walk out my door."

The Capital cheers again, and I blow a few kisses, warming up to the idea of being on the stage.

Caesar continues the interview. "Have you made any friends while you were here?"

"I've made a few. My best friend would definitely be Autumn, from District Seven. I never expected to find someone like her here, but I'm so glad I did."

They show Autumn on the screen, and she is smiling. "Do you have any other friends at home?"

I have to be careful here. I can't give away what Watt Dina and I do, or else they will be sent to the community home. "I have two other friends back home, Watt and Dina. Whenever our parents drop us off at school, we meet under the big maple tree and hang out together until the bell rings."

Literally every word of that last sentence is false, but the crowd eats it up. I hope Watt and Dina know why I did that. I give them a small wave before my time is up. Returning to my seat, I exchange a glance with Autumn, who gives me subtle thumbs up before the rest of the interviews continue.

I spend the next ten minutes or so slightly freaking out about my interview. I did it! I was likeable, and the crowd loved me! For the first time since I've been reaped, I let myself think about going home.

By the time I am paying attention again, Apollo Brunel is already halfway through his interview. Caesar is asking him about home, and he says a bunch of sweet things about his two sisters, Artemis and Hestia. Finally, Caesar starts talking about the thing I've been curious about ever since Copper's interview.

"We all saw the look Copper threw you when she was talking about maybe having something with one of the tributes. I know you only have a few seconds left, but tell us what you think about that?"

"Well, Copper's a great girl; I would be honored if she likes me, but it's up to her and I'm not going to say anything else."

The crowd starts yelling, demanding that Apollo give them an answer. Instead, he mimes locking his lips, and tosses the key in Copper's direction.

She smiles, and pretends to catch it.

I try even harder to focus as Apollo leaves the stage, because Autumn is up. Her interview is rather customary. Caesar asks her much of the same questions he asked me, and I'm rather disappointed when she leaves the stage. Like me, the crowd is growing restless, and Autumn doesn't get many cheers.

I'm sure we'll still get sponsors because of her score, and my interview, so I mouth "don't worry" to her. She gives me a tight smile, and we sit for the rest of the interviews.

They are dull, and none of the tributes past Autumn get any cheers at all, only polite applause.

When the interviews are over, we all stand for the Anthem, before we are led into the elevators. I smile as I see the floor falling away from underneath me for possible the very last time. It all begins tomorrow, and I actually feel like I'm ready.

_**Apollo Brunel POV (District Six)**_

After my shower, I sit on my bed hugging my knees to my chest and smiling. I had thought Copper would never like me back, but her interview suggested otherwise. I have to do some serious thinking about whether or not I would be okay with this in the Games. Odds are, she will die in my arms and I wouldn't be able to handle that.

Loud noises interrupt me as Juliet starts yelling again. I wonder what's going on. I hear the door to our floor open, and Juliet shushing whoever just walked in. Standing up, I walk over to my bedroom door to investigate, but Ian steps through before I can look out.

"Hey Apollo! Remember when I showed you the roof the other day? Would you mind going up there again? We are having some issues down here. It's nothing for you to be concerned about, but Juliet and I would really like some privacy."

"Okay," I say, insanely curious as to what's going on. Ian leads me down the now deserted hallway, passed Juliet's room in which there are muffled sounds of talking, and out the door. "Kiva is up on the Twelfth floor with her ally, Justin. Just come back in a few minutes," Ian instructs before he closes the door.

A couple minutes later I find myself up on the roof, surrounded by the gentle clinks of wind chimes and the faraway bustle of the Capital's night life. The door click behind me, and I turn around to see Copper, her cheeks flushed from the night's chill and her eyes shining.

"Hey Copper. Good job tonight with your interview. You got a lot of applause and cheers!"

"Thanks, so did you! And also… thanks for not talking about… whatever this is."

"I think you already know how I feel about you. I didn't want to pressure you into making a decision that you would ultimately regret."

"You know… I was actually thinking about this before the interviews."

Copper walks along the edge of the roof, careful not to hit the force field, and sits down on a bench. I walk over and sit next to her. Several seconds pass in silence before Copper reaches down and intertwines her hand with mine.

I smile, and she leans her head on my shoulder. The night passes with her leaning on me, and us staring out at the beautiful Capital skyline.

**A/N: Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Don't forget to review!**


	10. Countdown

**A/N: Thank you to**

**Seanthesheep356**

**Kongyroo1- I never noticed that! I re-read the chapter and I guess my writing style tends to repeat: P**

**Miss Payne**

**MusicForLife**

**Guest- If you want to review under a pen name I will be able to track your reviews for sponsor points **

**For reviewing. In one of the reviews I was asked to bring back the sponsor point system. I looked at all the reviews, and here are the points so far.**

_**Seanthesheep356- 11**_

_**Kongyroo1- 8**_

_**Miss Payne- 1**_

_**MusicForLife28- 1**_

_**Guest- 1**_

_**AlaskanSalmon- 7**_

_**Dolphin4444wssc- 4**_

_**Buttons301- 5**_

**If you are new to the sponsor system, I'll explain it. It's pretty simple. You get a point every time you review, and I will also have small contests at the end of each chapter, to which the winner will be awarded one or two points. If you wish to sponsor a tribute, simply PM me with what you want to give them and I will tell you how much it would cost.**

**On a related note, I was really happy with the number of reviews! I was lying in bed with a pile of tissues and cough drops-sts356- and the reviews really made me smile so much! Thank you all!**

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

**This chapter is written from third person, so there will be no POV headings. I'll make sure to mention the names though so you can keep up.**

**Chapter Ten: Countdown**

"_The human body is robust. It can gather strength when it's in mortal danger." _

― _Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon_

President Snow stands in the control room, overseeing the final preparations to what promises to be the bloodiest Games ever. His puffy lips stretch into a sinister smile as he sees the terrified expressions on the children. Turning away, he runs his tongue over the welts in his mouth. This is going to be a good year.

Eicendetta adjusts several temperature knobs and readies the mutts. Zeneth has convinced her to add more mutts this year, and he pestered her until Eicendetta agreed. She watches the countdown as it sets at sixty, and hesitates a moment before pushing the button to activate the pressure plates and send the clock ticking down. She rubs her head with her fingers. Is she supposed to feel this guilty?

Caesar paints a thin line of orange liner over his lid, preparing for the commentary of this year's Games. His fans are waiting, the Games are starting, and his lips are plump. Could life get any better?

Claudius Templesmith adjusts the microphone and continues counting down, past fifty. The tributes are eyeing the Cornucopia and their allies, and the sponsors are eyeing their tributes. Little does everyone else know, but to him, the Games have already begun.

Mylar looks to her left, and then to her right. Perfect. She is right in between those annoying allies, Autumn and Vida. Hopefully she can get to the Cornucopia, and still have time to choke one. Gilt is a couple plates away. They make eye contact, and Mylar blows a kiss. Who says you can't have it all?

Gilt cringes internally as he pretends to catch Mylar's kiss. He's only a few plates away, and it will be very easy to "accidentally" kill her in the thick of things. He thinks of Silk, and the future they will have together, and smiles. All that's standing in the way now is three plates over.

Copper frowns as she looks around for Apollo, but he is nowhere to be seen. She is on the tail end of the Cornucopia, next to Soya and the boy from five. At least nobody around her is a threat, but that must mean they are all clustered around Apollo. She bites her lip. Will he remember where to meet her?

Maria peers into the mouth of the Cornucopia from the side, and notices a big shiny trident just for her. She is next to Apollo and Alana. Perfect. Dylan is over by Lewis, and they can each take one out during the bloodbath. The only issue is that Dylan is right by Gilt, and Maria is only three plates from Mylar. They have to play this right if they want to pull it off.

Dylan looks around. Gilt is to his right and Lewis is to his left. On the other side of Lewis is that weak boy from District Three, but to the other side of Gilt is that girl with spunk, Autumn. A few yards away from him is a small knife, perfect for stabbing a weak ally in the back.

Vida makes eye contact with Autumn, who is right on the other side of Mylar. The District Eight girl is on the other side of Vida, and she sets her sights on the bounty of food, shelter, and weapons gleaming in the mouth of the cornucopia. She's fast. She can make it. She thinks.

Apollo wastes no time looking for Copper, but she is nowhere to be seen. Her words from last night echo in his head. _If we can't find each other, wherever the nearest shelter is behind the tail section._ He cranes his neck and looks behind the tail section, to where a huge cliff drops off right behind the plates. This isn't good. How is he going to find Copper?

Autumn looks at where three axes lie, just a few feet away from a long piece of rope. If Vida and she can grab that, they will be set as long as they can get food. Vida, however, seems distracted by the huge, gleaming swords, and the full sized tents. Autumn, breaking the unofficial silence rule, yells "No!" over to Vida. Vida nods, but Autumn isn't convinced she understood.

Soya looks around. Her positioning couldn't be better. She is by that small boy from three, and his District Partner, Copper. Dylan is only two plates away. If she can get into the mouth of the Cornucopia, her alliance is set. She just has to not get killed along the way.

Back in District One, Vine stands in the Main Square with his mother, silently cheering on his sister as she prepares to enter the Bloodbath. Only a few feet away, Silk cheers for Gilt, and the future he has promised, while Satin cheers for her little brother to make it home.

In District Three, Wynona holds her mother's frail hand as she watches Copper on the television. Her romance with Apollo has been so cute! Wynona no longer cares about the medicine; she just wants her big sister to come back.

Maria's boyfriend, Whel, has left the land, and is sitting on his boat in the middle of the sea. Why did she have to volunteer? They were going to be so happy! He silently prays to anyone who will listen. _Please let her win. Please bring back my Maria_.

Dylan's twin younger brothers, Pip and Pap, sit on his Mother's lap as the countdown reaches twenty. They are too young to realize what's happening. In fact, if Dylan died, they would probably be too young to remember him. And that's a tragedy no family should have to suffer through.

Dina and Watt stand near the back of the Center Square in District Five, watching as Vida and Autumn share a glance. They are happy Vida found a friend, but they know Autumn must die if Vida is to make it back home. The baker sees them, and a hint of recognition shows in his eyes, but he just gives the two kids a solemn nod. In these final ten seconds, everyone must come together.

Everyone who ever knew Apollo is gathered around his television: Oliver, Artemis, his Parents, Hestia, the kids from school, and even some of his teachers. He was well liked, and everyone wants him to make it home. Except Apollo. Right now, he only thinks of Copper.

Ava stands in the woods, crying as she breathes in the smell of pine. Why did her big sister volunteer? She is smart; she should have known not to do this. Right now, Ava can't face the crushing sympathy of everyone who knows Autumn. She wants to be alone. Because it's her twelfth birthday—and she will always associate her birthday with the day her role model died.

Sage sits; mute, on the couch in front of the TV with his dad. Soya may not have been a perfect big sister, but she was close enough. She always said that nothing could keep her away from him. Well, it looks like they found something: death.

Juliet spares the television one quick glance, just to see Kiva between the District Ten boy and the District Seven boy. If she plays her cards right, she might actually get out of the Bloodbath alive. Too bad Juliet won't be around to see it.

Sierra grabs Juliet's hand as they step into a hovercraft, piloted by a rebel from District Thirteen, and his young intern, Boggs. Her new, brown hair whips behind her in a sheet and her blue eyes sparkle as they lift off from the Capital for the very last time.

Ian, who is standing by Juliet, yells to Sierra over the roar of the engine. "You know, we should all probably change our names if we really want to live in District Thirteen. When Eicendetta told us about it, she did warn us that they have some Capital spies there. I'll be Sans Malik. It sounds nothing like Ian, so we should be safe."

Juliet thinks. "I'll be Sarah Malik. I like the name and, honestly Ia—Sans, we probably will never get to have a big wedding. What will your name be Sierra?"

Sierra looks out the window, her light blue eyes changing to a slate grey as the clouds reflect in it. "I think I'll be Alma. Alma Coin."

The clock reaches zero and the tributes leap off their plates as every eye in Panem is glued to a television.

Let the 35th Games begin.

**A/N: Would you guys like to see more of Ian, Juliet, and Sierra (Or Sans, Sarah, and Alma), or would you rather me focus on the tributes? I left it at a point where I could go either way.**

**This chapter contest is a Complete The Sentence. I start a sentence and you complete it is a wacky, funny way, and I pick my favorite. It will be worth one point.**

_**The apocalypse has happened, and you are surrounded by a horde of zombies. All you have is the Mockingjay book, a pink bottle of SinfulColors nail polish, and half of a jelly donut. You…**_

**I hope you all enjoyed the double chapter upload today, and don't forget to review!**


	11. Bloodshed

**A/N: Thanks to **

**Kongyroo1**

**NotCrazyJustWeird97**

**Seanthesheep356**

**Buttons301**

**AlaskanSalmon**

**For reviewing. NotCrazyJustWeird97 has won the chapter contest, with her hilarious answer. **_**The apocalypse has happened, and you are surrounded by a horde of zombies. All you have is the Mockingjay book, a pink bottle of SinfulColors nail polish, and half of a jelly donut. You…**_

_**I would put the jelly all over me, and pretend to be a zombie in the hopes of escaping. If that failed, I'd be damn awesome and pour the nail polish on the floor in case that tripped them up so I could run like hell. If that failed too, I'd probably hug the book and collapse in a weeping heap on the floor :D At least I'd die with a good book**_

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_**Chapter Eleven: Bloodshed**_

"_The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living."_

_Marcus Tullius Cicero _

_**Autumn Lindell POV (District Seven)**_

I look around, desperate for any sign of green forest I could make shelter in. The ground is hard packed dirt, with a cliff on one side of the Cornucopia and some drying, brown, shrubbery lasting for miles in the other direction. Way off in the distance I can see a green blur that _might_ be trees, but I'm not quite sure.

My shirt is already sticking to my sweaty body. It is a sandy brown color, perfect for blending in among sand, along with the sandy brown shorts. The light brown leather boots are wonderful, with a tread on the bottom useful for keeping traction on dusty terrain. I think I know what I can expect from the arena this year.

I ready my feet in the direction of the Cornucopia, heading straight for the axes. The gong sounds, and I fly from my plate, arms pumping and legs slamming against the dirt. I look slightly to my right to see Mylar keeping pace with me, so I angle a little bit in the other direction. I see Vida, on the other side of Mylar, dropping behind a bit until she is running behind me.

From the screams and clinks of weapons on the other side, I can assume that I am not the first to reach the glimmering, golden, treasure trove. I grab one of the axes in my hand, and whirl around to see if anyone is approaching behind me. Nobody is, so I take the time to grab the remaining two axes in my other hand, and turn to find Vida. She has picked up the coil of rope, and also manages to scoop up a sharp, serrated knife from a pile mere feet away.

"Come on," I yell to her. "Let's get out of here before things get out of control!"

"Okay!" She yells back, sprinting back towards me. We start running for the green blur in the distance, silently agreeing that the forest means water, food, shelter, and—essentially—life.

We have almost reached the plates when Vida suddenly disappears from view. I stop and look back, only to find that she has tripped over a tiny, unfilled canteen. I reach out my hand, and she grabs it as I try to pull her up.

"Ow!" She cries, grabbing her foot. "I did something to my ankle!"

"Can you stand?"

She tries, but stumbles as soon as she puts weight on her foot. "No! I think I twisted it!"

This is bad. I wrap her am around my shoulder and try to support her weight and mine, but we are slowed down an awful lot. Glancing behind my shoulder, I see the girl from District Eight running towards us with a only small knife.

"Listen Vida, I'm going to have to put you down for a second."

"Why?"

"Just… hold on."

I waste a few precious seconds getting her situated comfortably on the ground before I turn to face the District Eight girl head on. She slows when she notices that we have seen her, but decides to continue anyway.

"Look," She says shakily. "I don't want to hurt you. I just want one of your axes, and your rope."

I hesitate for a second too long, and she swipes at me with his knife, dragging it through my shoulder and down my arm. I can't help myself—I scream. Blood begins to drip from my fingertips, but I grab my axe with my other hand, and slam it into her stomach. Her eyes grow wide, and she drops the knife, desperately fluttering her fingers over the axe. I rip it from her stomach and run back to Vida, stopping only to pick up the canteen she tripped over. The knife, I leave. I know I will already feel guilty enough.

Vida is pale, and I rip a sleeve from my shirt, tying it around the worst of the wound. It does little to stop the pain, but the blood flow slows and we resume our halting run into the woods.

Several minutes later we are able to make out the distinct shape of trees in the distance, and we let ourselves take a quick break before we are hobbling again towards the forest. The hot sun beats relentlessly down on us and, little do we know, our bodies have already begun to fight dehydration.

_**Soya Till POV (District Eleven)**_

The gong sounds, and I leap from my plate, immediately angling to the right so I can reach the mouth of the Cornucopia. Gadjet, that boy from District Three, is surprisingly fast, and is keeping up with me. I reach the Cornucopia first, and grab a knife from the ground just in case. Gadjet isn't paying me any attention, but I can't afford to take risks.

Running around to the other side, I smash his head in against the hard metal, knocking him unconscious. He isn't dead yet, but the boy from District One is approaching quickly and I know he won't make it much longer. I can't afford to waste any time with remorse, so I look around, searching for the perfect opportunity to duck into the mouth.

I see Vida and Autumn racing off away from the Bloodbath, with the District Eight girl trying to catch them. The boy from District Six, Apollo, has grabbed a small green backpack a few feet from his plate, and is now running around, desperately calling out for Cooper.

Dylan stabs the boy from District Five in the chest, and runs off in pursuit of the District Ten boy, leaving an opening in the horde of bodies. Leaping forward, I step over a tent and a large yellow backpack, scrambling inside the gaping hole.

The metal is hot, and I try to not let my bare skin touch it, but it still feels as if I am being roasted alive. The face of the District Six girl appears in the opening, and I drop my knife in panic, scrambling back on all fours like a crab.

She grins manically. "They told me I wouldn't ever amount to anything. They gave me a two. But now I'll prove them wrong. Who's weak now?!"

She takes the time to scream into the sky, and I lash my foot out at the unhinged tribute. It smashes right above the bridge of her nose, and blood spurts everywhere, covering my shorts in the red liquid. She falls backwards, and Maria dashes by, peering inside.

"Good, you found your way in. I'll make sure either Dylan or I keep an eye on the opening. Try to cover yourself with this." She tosses me a flimsy sheet of green plastic, and the last thing I see before covering myself with it is her jabbing her trident into the District Six girl's back.

I think her name was Kiva, but Maria is inches away from me, tearing open the girl's back like it's a nonissue.

Her gurgling cries are drowned out by more screams .What is going on out there?

_**Dylan Flao POV (District Four)**_

I'm off before half of the tributes have even realized the timer has sounded. Scooping up a knife, I use it to ward off anybody who would want to stop me before I reach the large sword sitting right by the Cornucopia. Unfortunately, Gilt also wants that sword.

He stares me down as we both race step for step towards the metal. I can't kill him now, Mylar is only a few yards away, trying to catch the District Seven girl. She would notice, and then I would have a real problem on my hands.

I throw the knife at the ground right in front of Gilt. He trips over the handle, and falls to the ground, leaving me free to grab the sword. This is it. This is my moment to prove to all of Panem that I deserved more than an eight.

I see the District Seven boy, who has run a few feet in to scoop up a blue backpack, trying to run back away. While the bounty at the Cornucopia is tempting, I sprint towards him. He never even sees me coming before his head is lying next to his body. I grab the bloody backpack and drop it back near the Cornucopia. I'll pick it up later.

The boy from District Five is poking around near the mouth of the Cornucopia, and I see Soya hovering around, searching for the right moment to dash inside. I sprint by and stab the boy in his chest, giving Soya the opportunity to duck inside.

I see Maria, who is running over to check if Soya made it in.

"I saw her go in!" I yell, gesturing to the Cornucopia. "But you might want to make sure she is hidden! If the other tributes found her she would be trapped, leading to an easy kill!"

Maria nods, and keeps running. I look around for Mylar, seeing if there was any way I could just stab her in the back and just keep running, but she is too far away, chasing after two tributes. The District Nine boy and the District Eight boy had formed an alliance, and were trying to run away from the Bloodbath without even getting any supplies. Don't they know that dying a quick death in the Bloodbath is better than a slow death by dehydration?

Mylar catches them, and tackles them to the ground and stabs each of them in quick succession in their kneecaps. I can hear their screams from here. I think of Pip and Pap watching this back home, and all I want to do is reach out to cover their eyes.

She proceeds to drag the knife up and down their bodies, until all they can do is whimper. Mylar leaves them there to bleed out, and comes running back.

I look around and realize that all the tributes have either escaped, or are dead. All that's left is me, Mylar, Gilt, and Maria. "So," I say to all of them. "Before we count the dead, I have to ask. Who was the lucky one who offed Alana and Lewis?"

I look around, but everyone looks confused. "Come on," I say. "You know it had to be done. Someone _has_ to take credit." Still, nobody owns up.

"Maybe some other tribute got them," Maria says, using the hem of her shirt to wipe the blood from her trident. "They weren't that tough; I'm sure somebody could've."

"Fair enough," I say. "I got the Five and the Seven boys."

"That's two," Says Gilt, as if I wasn't able to count. "I got the District Three boy. He was lying by the Cornucopia with half his face bashed in, but technically I was the one to finish him off."

"That's three," I say mockingly to Gilt, but he doesn't seem to realize that I'm insulting him.

Mylar speaks up next. "I got the Eight and Nine boys, and I say that Seven chick, Autumn, sticking the District Eight girl."

Maria is the last to speak. "I got the District Six girl. She was over near the mouth of the Cornucopia, but I didn't want her bleeding all over our supplies so I moved her a few feet away."

I am so relieved. If she had left the body there, others would want to go over there and inspect it, surely leading them to Soya.

We count the number of bodies scattered around, counting nine. Sure enough, Alana and Lewis lie together over by the cliff, each with a single stab wound through their forehead.

Disregarding it as another tribute, we return to the Cornucopia and begin organizing our supplies. The Games have begun. And I am still alive.

_**Copper Telle POV (District Three)**_

"Oh my Panem," I gasp as Apollo and I keep running away from the Cornucopia. "I can't believe I killed two people—two Careers!"

"It's okay Copper. You did what had to be done. They were going to kill us if you hadn't had your knife."

"I know… but they had families, jobs, boyfriends, girlfriends, pets… and I just ended it like that," I say, snapping my fingers.

"Honestly Copper, I don't care. Because I have you and that's all I care about."

We stop and he pulls me in for a kiss.

I blush. "You know, I don't really think we have to run much farther. I doubt any of the other tributes thought of climbing down the cliff, so I'm sure nobody is in pursuit of us."

"I agree with that, but we do need to find water . Look around—there's no shade, trees, streams, or anything in sight. If we don't find water, we're dead."

"I guess," I sigh. "Do we have to run?"

"I guess not. Let's just walk. Hey—do you want to look in the backpack I got?"

He takes off the dark green backpack from his shoulders, and starts taking some stuff out as we are walking. "Oh, good, a coil of rope! If we find any bush or tree or anything I can set up a snare and hopefully get some food."

Next is a large, empty water bottle.

"At least we have something to hold water in once we find it."

Along with the water bottle comes an iodine tablet, for purifying it. We have a large, red blanket, some matches, and even a little bag of berries.

"I guess it's going to get cold at nights," I say, gesturing to the blanket.

"I can't say I wouldn't mind that," Apollo replies, gesturing to the hot sun.

We walk in silence for a while, until—far out in the distance—I see a tiny smudge of green. Excitedly, I slap Apollo's shoulder over and over.

"Apollo, Apollo, look!"

Apollo looks to where I'm pointing, and smiles in relief. "I see it too! It's not a mirage!"

We start running again towards the forest without realizing that we have been walking in a circle around where the Cornucopia was. This is the same forest Vida and Autumn are running to as well.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the speedy update, and the chappy! I sadly won't be able to update this week, or even begin writing, because I have three tests in geometry, bio, and world civ, a quiz in Spanish, and a paper due in English. **

**The chapter contest is a question that you have a 50/50 percent chance of getting right**

**Do I have a dog or a cat? (1 point)**

**What is the animal's name? (10 points)**

**Don't forget to review!**

**Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let Cato's sword bite!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	12. Career Eyes

**A/N: Thanks to **

**Seanthesheep356- I know me too! I hate heat!**

**MusicForLife28- Thank you so much! I'm feeling a lot better. This is my study break in between writing a paper and studying!**

**Buttons301- Thanks!**

**NotCrazyJustWeird97- That would be funny, but it's sadly not true **

**Kongyroo1- AHH! You planted that idea in my head a few chapters ago and now I can't get it outttt!**

**AlaskanSalmon- No**** I'm sorry **

**Dolphin44xswim- Thanks**** I'll try to make this one a little longer**

**For reviewing. The correct answer was that I have a dog named Posy **** I'm team Gale so I thought it was fitting to name her that!**

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**I hope you all enjoy the chappy, and don't forget to review!**

**Chapter Twelve: Career Eyes**

"_There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation."_

_W. C. Fields _

_**Mylar Poise POV (District One)**_

The hovercrafts came a few minutes ago and took all the bodies, but the sand is still in bloody clumps in some places, and the metallic smell of blood combined with the hot gold from the Cornucopia is making me nauseous.

Right now we are sorting the supplies so we can divvy them up accurately. Maria and Dylan insisted on being in charge of moving the supplies away from the Cornucopia, leaving Alana, Lewis, Gilt and I to sort them into three piles: Weapons, Food, and Shelter.

I eye the weapons pile with envy, all the bronze, gold, and silver knives, swords, arrows, and axes are practically making me salivate. The shelter pile is going to prove to be very useful. Three full-sized tents, which will protect us from the sun, six blankets, in case it gets cold at night, three pairs of night vision goggles, and two sleeping bags.

However, the food pile is rather scarce. We have seven small jerky packets, a loaf of bread, and three packs of dried berries. Along with that are seven, bone dry, water bottles.

I kick at the piles with my boot, and turn to Gilt. "There's not much this year, especially when it comes to water."

Gilt nods. "I think that, along with a hunting party, we should have two people go off and look for water. I know we have a lot of sponsors, but they can't give us enough water for four people."

"He's right," Maria says, walking over from the Cornucopia. "But we still do need someone to stay here and guard. We really don't have enough people in the alliance."

Dylan walks over and deposits another empty water bottle. "How about this—tomorrow you two go off and hunt tributes," he says, pointing at Gilt and I. "And I'll go off to look for water. Maria can stay here and protect the supplies."

"Don't you think it's a little foolish to go charging off into the mysterious desert all alone?" I say, but Dylan stays strong.

"I'm sure I can manage. I'll only go off a few miles."

"Then it's settled," says Gilt, picking up an orange backpack. "Mylar, you and I should probably start packing our bags. We might want to leave tonight right after the anthem."

I grab a green bag and fill it with some fruit, a water bottle, the iodine drops, five knives, and a small roll of gauze. I can't see what Gilt packed, but I'm pretty sure it's just the same as mine.

"Which direction do you want to start in?" I ask Gilt, turning around so I can see what's around us.

"I think we should start over that way," He says, pointing to a green blur in the distance. "I'm sure a lot of the tributes ran off to the woods because it has shelter and safety. Plus, we might even find some water there."

I nod my agreement.

A few moments later, after the sky turns dark, it is lit up again with the faces of the dead. The first two faces are of Alana and Lewis, and I again wonder who killed them.

The District Three boy follows, with the Five boy, Six girl, Seven boy, Eight girl, Eight boy, and the Nine boy.

The anthem plays again, and the sky fades back into darkness. I nod to Gilt. "You ready?"

"You bet I am. Let's go kill some tributes!"

We stand up, sling our packs over our shoulders, and walk away from the Cornucopia.

It's go time.

_**Dylan Flao POV (District Four)**_

Right after Mylar and Gilt get out of sight, Maria whirls on me.

"What do you think you're doing? You can't go off on your own but I also have to stay here. What if they come back?"

"Maria, calm down! I have an idea." I walk over to the mouth of the Cornucopia, and lean my head in. "Soya? Soya, you can come out now."

Her bright eyes appear around the corner, followed by her long hair. Slowly and cautiously, she eases out of the mouth, looking around for threats all the while.

"I heard what you guys were talking about," She says. "I assume you want me to go with you to find water?"

"You assumed right," I say. As I pick up a backpack I turn to Maria. "Sorry for upsetting you like that. We'll be back in an hour so Soya can get back in the Cornucopia."

She nods, but still looks slightly angry at me.

Soya also picks up a pack, but I stop her. "If they get back before us, they'll realize a pack is missing. I'll just load my bag with twice the supplies and we can share."

She nods. "How long do I have to keep hiding?"

I look at her, and then back at Maria. She's right—Soya can't keep doing this. I guess I hadn't really thought about when we would kill Mylar and Gilt if we weren't able to do so in the bloodbath.

Maria speaks up. "I think we should do it tonight. We can plan all we want, but the truth is no time would be better than when they're sleeping. Also, if we kill them now they will use up less of the supplies."

"That sounds good," says Soya, and I agree.

"Are you ready to go look for water?" I ask Soya as I sling my pack over my shoulder.

"You bet I am!" She says as she follows me. I look back one more time and see Maria finishing organizing all the piles.

We head away from the woods, and tediously climb all the way down the cliffs. Water flows downwards, so we assume there must be some sort of river running over the rocks. Step after step we walk on, even when I feel like we should be getting back to the Cornucopia.

About an hour later I stop. Soya stops as well.

"What's wrong? Did you hear something?"

I shush her. It's faint, but I definitely hear running water a little ways into the distance. "This way!" I exclaim, and start running.

Several minutes later we see it. It's a small river, but it winds its way around the cliff wall, feeding into a small pool of water. It's beautiful!

I hear Soya cheer behind me, and we leap over to the cool, refreshing water. I'm about to fill my bottle when Soya suddenly grasps my arm. "Don't… Move…" She whispers through clenched teeth, and I freeze immediately.

"Look to the left of that big rock."

I tilt my head ever so slightly and look to where she is looking. My heart starts pounding when I see the long reptile concealed in the dry grass. In the past years, when the Capital has used dry deserts, they have used a specific type of mutation called a Morsusnake.

It's a silvery grey snake with a long, thin body and an abnormally large head. It is clearly identifiable by a black dot on the top of its head, shaped like the letter "C". One bite and you're dead.

I tense, and start to back up when Soya stops me. "It looks far enough away from the lake. We would probably be able to get at least a gallon of water. Dylan, we really need water."

"Why do I have to do it?" I whisper back, eyeing the Morsusnake with fear.

"Because you're a Career. Now get out there you big scaredy cat!" She gives me a little nudge and I step forward, pulling out a sword as I crept closer and closer to the water.

Still keeping one eye on the Morsusnake, I bent down and lowered the water bottle into the lake. I looked down for one second to make sure the bottle was filled, and that's when I realized my mistake. A tiny silver baby Morsusnake was swimming near my hand and a few others were milling around in the pool. This mama snake had babies, and she did _not_ like me messing with them.

Her mouth immediately opened wide to reveal her razor sharp fangs, with tiny drops of venom already pooling at the end. Soya screamed, and the noise started the Morsusnake to strike. She slithered surprisingly fast towards my left leg and, before I had time to react, her head shot out at my calf.

Closing my eyes tightly, I blindly swung downwards with my sword. I was too late. I felt the seeing pain of her fang entering my leg, and I collapsed. Soya ran over to me. "Dylan, that was amazing! You dropped the water, but we can fill them all up now!"

I squinted up at her face, backdropped by the millions of stars, and groaned. "What are you talking about? You have to get me back to camp! Do you not know how deadly their bites are? I'm dying and all you can talk about is water!"

She looks at me for a few seconds in confusion, before she laughs. "She didn't bite you Dylan! When you swung your sword down you took of her head, but you also hit yourself too! Look at the mark—it's a thin line, not a hole from her fang. I can't believe you actually thought…" She trails off, laughing too hard to continue.

I use the strap from the backpack to wipe away some of the blood and see that Soya is indeed right: The shallow cut on my leg is clearly from my own sword. However, I don't find this funny quite yet. Reaching into the backpack, I pull out a roll of bandages, the iodine tablets, and the rest of the water bottles. After fixing up my leg, I go over and prepare the rest of the bottles.

"Soya, it's not funny! I thought I was going to die! I have two little brothers, Pip and Pap. Do you know what they would have done without me home?"

Her laughter trails off and her face turns somber. "I'm sorry; I guess I didn't think of that. Are you okay?"

I hold up my hand, which is shaking. "I am now. And I guess, in retrospect, it is _sort _of funny."

She grabs the pack from me. "Here, I got this. Let me know if you need me to help you walk. We need to get back to the Cornucopia before Mylar and Gilt get back. The sun is starting to rise and they should be back soon."

We start to walk back, but then I remember something. "Hold on just a second," I tell Soya as I limp back to the carcass of the Morsusnake. Taking her head, I rip one of the fangs out and run the venom all around the sword.

"Good idea," Soya tells me as we return to our trek back.

After the run-in with the mutt, I'm reminded of something Ceases, my mentor, told me right after the interviews. He told me that I actually had twenty-five opponents in the arena: the twenty-three tributes, the arena, and myself. The Gamemakers will throw anything at us, and I have to make sure I'm prepared.

_**Maria Tilt POV (District Four)**_

The sun is just starting to peak over the flat desert when I see Soya and Dylan walking back towards the Cornucopia. While I wait for them to get closer, I notice that Dylan seems to be limping slightly. By the time he reaches me, I'm already waiting with some anti-infection cream, bandages, and painkillers.

"Really, I'm fine," He laughs, as he waves away my help. "I had a run in with a Morsusnake. It came at me so I sliced its head off, but I nicked myself in the process."

"My Panem!" I exclaim as I peel away his poor attempts at bandaging his wounds. "You almost died! Please let me rewrap your leg, infection will kill you even if the Morsusnake didn't."

Dylan finally submits to my pestering, and I prop his leg up on his backpack. "Soya," I say, turning to her. "You might want to get back in the Cornucopia. If Mylar and Gilt see you, they _will _kill you. Here, take a water bottle."

She catches it, gives me a grateful smile, and crawls back into the metal shelter. I turn to Dylan. "Speaking of Mylar and Gilt, do you think they are okay? It's been a few hours and I still haven't heard any canons."

As if on cue, a single canon echoes around the arena, and Dylan and I look at each other. "Who do you think that was," He asks, and I shrug.

"It could have been anyone."

I continue wrapping Dylan's leg, but jump when yet another canon blast startles me.

We share a frightened look. For all we know, Mylar and Gilt are both dead. While that would be good for us, it would also mean that there is some other maniac tribute out there that can beat two Careers at the same time.

I see a blurry figure approaching towards us, and I grab my trident incase it's not Mylar or Gilt.

A few minutes later I can make out the form of Mylar, covered in blood, slowly walking back towards the Cornucopia—with no Gilt next to her.

_**Mylar Poise POV (District One)**_

"It's been _hours_," I moan as I trudge across the desert with Gilt. "Can't we just go back and see if they have water?"

"Mylar, if we don't kill at least on tribute, we will look weak. Weak tributes get killed. I will not get killed. Now get your knives out. Look at this."

He points at a hardly visible footprint imprinted in the sand. "Judging by the depth of this print, the tribute was walking slowly this direction." He points off to our right, where I see a collection of scraggly, dried out bushes about a mile away.

I lower my voice to a whisper. "Do you think there's a tribute in there?"

I slowly nods, and draws his sword. I keep a knife in each hand and we tread softly over to the bushes. A few yards away Gilt places his hand on my arm and I stop. From inside the bushes I can hear a female tribute talking quietly.

"Allies?" I mouth at Gilt, but he shakes his head.

"She must be crazy," He whispers back. "There was only one set of tracks."

The voices inside the bushes stop, and I shoot Gilt a _you idiot you were too loud_ look.

The tribute speaks again, except this time she is louder. "Who's out there? Are you metal? You shine bright like blood on metal. Metal shoots arrows but I can't do anything."

With much rustling, the District Ten girl stands up. She has no weapons that we can see, but Gilt and I are still wary. Crazy tributes are always the most dangerous.

I ready a knife and am just about to hurl it at her when she bursts into tears. I lower it slowly. I know this might make me look weak, but I don't want to give this obviously depressed tribute a sudden and bloody death.

I give a motion to Gilt and he approaches her, holding her shoulder in a comforting gesture while readying his sword to slit her throat. It will be a virtuously painless death. Just before he is about to drag the sword across her neck, she ducks down and kicks out, sweeping Gilt's legs out from underneath him. I gasp. Tiny girls like that shouldn't be able to bring big tributes like Gilt to the ground, but I guess madness gives you strength.

Gilt recovers, and stands up just as the girl pulls a hidden knife from the waist of her shorts. Gilt raises his sword and tries to swing it at her, but she blocks is with her knife. The combined force causes both of their weapons to fly from their hands, and Gilt hesitates only a second before tackling her to the flood. "Come on Mylar," He yells at me. "Help me out here!"

I edge around the corner of the fight, wanting to throw my knife at the girl but scared I'll hit Gilt. I think for a moment, and then join the fight, slashing with my knife whenever I see her brown hair. Somehow I manage to slip Gilt a knife and the fight becomes easier after that.

Slash by slash, we wound the girl enough to make her weak from blood loss, and she passes out on the ground. I reach down to check her pulse just as her canon blast sounds. "She's dead," I say to Gilt, turning around to see him raise the knife to my unprotected back.

I roll out of the way, grab the knife I discarded on the ground, and stand up shakily. "What are you doing Gilt? Were you trying to kill me?"

"Of course not babe," He says, trying to give me a hug, but I backpedal quickly.

"You were trying to kill me! Why? I thought we loved each other!"

Gilt's face quickly changes to an expressionless mask. I've never seen this side of him, and it almost scares me. "Of course I don't love you," He snaps, and I take a step back from hurt. "You're so useless and annoying! You couldn't even join the fight to save my life!"

Now I take a step forward and raise my knife. "So was this your plan all along? Volunteer alongside me and kill me when I wasn't looking? You're clearly dumb. Anybody with any sense at all would have just waited until I was asleep."

"When I kill you it will be easy to kill everybody else, and then I can go back home to Silk. Who's the dumb one now, Mylar? Silk and I have been dating for over a year and you still never caught on."

Now I'm livid. "Too bad you won't ever get your happy ending with that slut; I'm just going to kill you right now."

Pulling a second knife from my belt we circle each other. I taunt him a little more. "I bet now you regret skipping the lesson about actually throwing knives to get a haircut that made you look like a seven year old boy!"

He growls. "That doesn't matter. I can still beat you even if I don't know how just because I'm that much better than you."

I don't answer him. I've seen his defenses, and I know how to beat him. I lob a slow knife that sails harmlessly over his shoulder. Being the arrogant jerk he is, he turns to watch it fall to the desert ground. "That was awful," he says, turning around. "I guess the classes didn't help you at a—"

He isn't even able to finish his though before I've whirled up to him, knocked his knife from his hand, and grabbed him in a headlock. "Any last words… baby," I whisper to him.

He defiantly stares me right in the eye. "I love you Silk," he says, and I feel like screaming. Jerking my hand, I tear his jugular and he falls limp in my arms. I give him one last kiss and hold him tightly, not even caring when his blood gets all over me.

His canon sounds and I drop the body to the ground where his blood mingles with the sand.

Twelve left.

**A/N: I hoped you all enjoyed the chappy! I would really like to apologize for the wait. I had a major workload at school, and I crammed in writing whenever I could, but sometimes it just didn't happen. No promises, but I hope to get the next chapter up a lot sooner.**

**Please don't forget to review!**

**~TrackerJackson**


	13. Prey

**A/N: Once again, I'm sorry for the long update. I hope to start updating once every week and a half, but I hope you all will bear with me through the tremendous amounts of homework I have! I would like to thank:**

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**I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter Thirteen: Prey**

"_Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey."_

_Lord Byron_

_**Autumn Lindell POV (District Seven)**_

Last night there were two faces in the sky: Gilt and the girl from District Ten. Another Career is dead, but that won't matter if we can't find food and water. I think back to the Cornucopia and mentally kick myself. There was a huge backpack _right_ by the axes. Why didn't I pick it up?

Vida is limping beside me, holding a stick as a crutch, and has part of my sleeve wrapped around her ankle. She notices me looking at her, and wipes the look of pain from her face. I frown at her.

"Really Autumn, I'm fine. All I really want now is water."

"We have to be close. The trees in this oasis need at least some water to survive.

Vida nods, and continues limping on. From behind, I am able to get a clearer view of her ankle, and I grimace. Infection is obviously prominent, and we need to get to water to clean it up.

A few minutes later I freeze, and Vida stops as well.

"Do you hear that?" I ask, and Vida nods.

The unmistakable gurgle of water flowing over rocks is sounding from very nearby. Vida and I turn to each other, ecstatic.

I start running there, the canteen from the District Eight girl clutched in my hands. I can hear Vida close behind me, but her ankle is obviously giving her pain, and I stop when I hear her shriek. Looking back I see her lying on the ground, pale face, and passed out from the pain in her ankle.

I look over my shoulder and can see a small stream running off into a lake, but I know Vida will be in serious trouble if she doesn't wake up soon. I slap her face lightly. "Come on Vida… wake up," I murmur under my breath, but Vida doesn't stir.

Finally, I hoist her up over my shoulder and stagger the hundred feet or so until we reach the water. I lie her down as gently as I can, leaning her up against a boulder, and I walk over to the lake. After filling the bottle, I walk back over to Vida and gently ease off her shoe. She moans softly, flickering open her eyes and wincing at the pain.

"I'm so sorry, but I have to unwrap you ankle and talk a look at it. Here," I hand her a fallen branch from one of the trees. "If you need to, just bite this because we can't make much noise."

She nods, and braces herself for the pain. As gently as I can, I untie the knot of the makeshift bandage, and unwrap her ankle. Her muffled cries of pain slowly fade as she passes out once again. With the bandage off, I can see how awful her injury really is. The skin is bright red, tight, and swollen. A small, dark blue bruise is over the bone, and the bone looks larger than usual. I used to think it was only sprained, but now I suspect it might be broken.

This is really bad. A broken bone in the Hunger Games pretty much guarantees death. I bring the strip of cloth over to the lake and wash it clean of all the dust, sand, and dirt. Squeezing all of the water off of it, I bring the now damp bandage over and carefully wash her foot as well, being careful not to press too hard on the bone.

After washing the cloth one more time, I wrap the ankle back up and wait for her to wake up. After a couple of minutes I start to worry, but there's nothing I can do, so I continue pacing and drinking the water. I don't really panic until I hear the canon blast.

"No, no, no, no, Vida wake up. Wake _up!_" I start slapping her face and even touching her ankle to see if the pain would wake her up like last time. It doesn't. I start to cry and I gather all our supplies so I can move on. This isn't fair. Nobody should have to die of a broken ankle, especially not my best friend. If I had known how heartbroken I would be when some of the tributes died, I would never have volunteered!

After I get a few yards away from her I stop, and turn around slowly. I'm far enough away—shouldn't they have sent a hovercraft by now? Hopeful, I drop all the supplies and race back to where she lies slumped against the rock. Grabbing her wrist, I wait hopefully.

_There!_ It's faint, but she does have a pulse. Tears that I can't control run down my face in relief, and I walk back over to gather the supplies. However, she might still be alive, but she still hasn't woken up. I pour some water on her forehead and wait a little while longer, but nothing happens.

"That's not going to work. If you keep doing that, she'll never wake up."

I whirl around, snatching up an axe from the ground. "Who's there? Who said that?"

A different voice comes from behind me and I turn again. "We'll only reveal ourselves if you promise not to hurt us. We can help your friend."

I think for only a moment before lowering my axe. "As long as you really can help Vida, I won't hurt you. I'll do anything to save her!"

With a fair amount of rustling, Copper and Apollo emerge from the trees on either side of me. Copper is carrying an armful of leafy green plants with white flowers. I remember passing those on our way to the river, but they didn't look edible. Copper takes a rock from the ground and smashes the flowers and leaves together into a pulp.

Taking the mixture, she slowly and evenly applies it to Vida's ankle. "What's that?" I ask, and Copper hardly looks up before answering.

"It's salicin. It grows at the bases of the trunks of some of these trees. It won't heal her, but it's a painkiller. Unless you have any sponsors, we really can't do much for her. We need real bandages, and medicine made in the Capitol."

Copper comes forward with a pale white flower, and crushes that as well. "This is milk thistle," he explains as he works. "Once we wash off the salicin, I can apply this to help bring down the swelling."

Several minutes later Vida's ankle is treated, cleaned, and wrapped up in part of Apollo's sleeve. Copper looks at me. I'm sure I look like a mess, with dirt and tears on my face and my hair frizzy and wild from running from the Bloodbath.

"I think we should stay until she wakes up. You know, just to be sure she's okay."

I shoot them a grateful smile. "Thanks so much. I have no idea what I would have done without her."

We sit in silence for a while before I remember the cannon shot that I though was Vida's. "A few moments before you came into our camp, did you hear that canon blast? Do you know whose it was?"

Apollo and Copper shake their head. "Sorry," Apollo says. "We were already basically here by the time we heard the blast."

I nod. "You guys are pretty good with plants and medicine. Where did you lean all that?"

They share a smile and I assume plant identification is something of an inside joke between the two of them. Copper speaks first. "We were having a competition at training and he asked me to be his ally at the plant identification station. I guess it was just a special place for us, so we kept going back and learning more."

I give into my girl impulses, and squeal. "You two are too _cute_! This is adorable."

Copper and Apollo smile, and Apollo talks to me, but still faces Copper. "I'm just glad I found someone to help me through the Games."

Rustling sounds from behind me, and I turn just to see Vida slowly open her eyes. She reaches down and gently brushes her ankle, which looks a lot less swollen, but she still gasps and bites her lip in pain. "What happened? Why are Apollo and Copper here?"

"They saved your life. You passed out from pain and I couldn't wake you up, but they brought a bunch of plants that reduced the pain and swelling."

She laughs shakily. "If it used to hurt more it's no wonder that I passed out. Thank you two so much for helping me. So are we allies or what?"

I'm startled, and look at Apollo and Copper who look just as surprised as I do. Vida laughs. "Oh, come on! Did you guys really sit here talking the whole time I was unconscious and not talk about being allies?"

Apollo shakes his head slowly. "I guess not. Do you guys want to talk about it? We're in the final thirteen and it might be nice to have two more friends to face everyone else."

I look back at Vida, and then to them again. "If you two are okay with it, I think it would be nice to be allies."

Copper speaks next. "I guess it is kind of stupid that we didn't talk about it. I think it would be a great idea."

A lot of the tension dissipates, and I pull out our supplies. "If we're going to be allies, I guess we should show each other our supplies. We have rope, one canteen, three axes, and a knife. Vida's amazing with the rope, I'm good with axes, and she's good with the knife."

Apollo pulls the dark green backpack off his shoulder and unzips it. "We have more rope, a water bottle we can fill in a few minutes, iodine tablets, a red blanket, and half a bag of berries. We ate the rest yesterday when we were hiking across the desert to get here."

From looking at our supplies one thing is obvious—we need food. Even though we are in the oasis, we haven't seen any sigh of animal life, and Copper and Apollo can only do so much with edible plants. I just really hope we have sponsors.

_**Apollo Brunel POV (District Six) **_

I sit up on watch, holding with hands with Copper as she sleeps soundly next to me. Autumn and Vida's red blanket is wrapped around me, but I still shiver in the cold, desert night. I keep a knife next to me, but I know that if we were actually attacked I wouldn't be able to use it. Training with Copper has taught me that.

The water gurgles into the pool, and I find myself almost nodding off in the relaxing moments. Pinching my arm, I open my eyes even wider and stare into the pitch dark night. Luckily, the moon seems to reflect off the surface of the lake, shining hundreds of tiny lights into the surrounding areas.

Suddenly, I realize: the river is behind me. I'm no longer tired, and I squeeze Copper's hand so tightly that she wakes up.

"Wha—"

She starts to groggily as what's wrong, but I smack my hand over her mouth and she falls silent, fear in her eyes as she realized the hundreds of eyes staring back at us from the desert. We stand up slowly and wake Autumn and Vida, stifling any sounds they might try to make.

"Okay," I whisper, pulling us all into a huddle. "We can't outrun them. I think they're jackals, and I'm sure the Capital has engineered them to be faster than usual. I think our best bet is to head to a palm tree and try to climb it. Hopefully the jackals will get bored after a while, and leave.

We all nod, and I point to the nearest tree. "On my mark. Ready… yet… now!"

As soon as we move the jackals react. I hear them behind us, and my arms ache with the weight of Vida. Autumn and Copper have already reached the tree, and Autumn has started to climb it, but Copper waits at the bottom for me, fear etched in every line of her face.

Vida seems to be getting heavier the farther I run, and I can hear the jackals growing closer and closer. Copper starts to run back, but I shout, "No!" and she hesitates before starting to climb the tree.

One of the jackals leaps for my legs, and I shift Vida over to one arm and stab the jackal with my knife. I can hear its death cry, but one of its claws gorges the back of my leg, sending a torrent of warm blood cascading down into my shoe.

Vida starts pounding on my back. "You're not going to make it with me! Put me down! Put me down!"

I keep running. I'm only a few feet away from the tree when my injured leg starts to give. I can hear Copper and Autumn screaming from the top of the tree, and my vision starts to close. Vida's right—we both can't make it.

"I'm so sorry!" I cry, and punch her head as hard as I can. She goes limp in my arms and I drop her, reaching the tree just as the jackals reach Vida's unconscious body. As fast as I can with my leg, I scale the tree until I'm just below Autumn, who is sobbing for Vida.

I had hoped my punch was hard enough, but as soon as the jackal's teeth came in contact with her skin, Vida woke up. Staying up in that tree was torture. It took several more minutes before Vida's screams finally subdued, and her cannon sounded.

The jackals dissipated, and I climbed up to where Copper and Autumn huddled. Copper grabbed my hand, but Autumn clung to the trunk, sobbing as the hovercraft came and took Vida's body away.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper, but I'm not even sure if she hears me. "I had to do it. There was no other way. You saw how close they were!" My voice grows louder as I crave her forgiveness more and more. "I'm so sorry," I whisper once more before I break down into tears as well.

The anthem interrupts me, flashing Vida's face, and then the mystery cannon, who turns out to be the District Eleven boy.

We spend the rest of the night huddled in the tree, crying quietly as the sun rises. Finally, as the light from the sun spreads out over the desert horizon, Autumn slides down from the tree, with Copper and me right behind her.

"I'm sorry," she says quietly as she begins to pack her bag. "But I can't stay here, in the oasis, or with you. I know you had to do it, and I forgive you, but her ghost will always be here. Good luck you two. I hope you two die together so you will never have to experience this pain."

With that, Autumn slowly walks off into the desert, and Copper and I are left alone, with blood on my hands and staining the sandy ground.

_**Alma Coin POV (District Six/ Thirteen)**_

It's been weird having to call Juliet and Ian by their District Thirteen names—Sans and Sarah Malik. Everyone here has accepted us, but they still sometimes almost slip up, and call me Sierra. I think they are disappointed they never got to have their wedding, but they are well-suited as a married couple.

They've focused more on accepting the existence of District Thirteen and making friends, while I've tried to advance my Career a bit more. Right now I'm sitting in the waiting area to speak with Terra Erwin, the president of District Thirteen, about getting my pilot's badge.

The secretary looks up from her computer, and gestures me into her office. "Miss Erwin can see you now."

I nod thank you, and quietly enter the office. It's rather large, but the lighting is too sharp for me. I hate how District Thirteen is underground. Growing up in District Six has caused me to get very used to sunlight, and the feeling of wind in my hair as I fly through the air in helicopters with no doors.

Terra looks up from her desk, and smiles at me. "Hello, Alma! It's so good to finally meet you! Schroedter has told me all about you!"

I must have looked confused, because Terra elaborates. "Schroedter was the pilot who flew you here. He was training an intern, Boggs, who graduated into a full-fledged pilot today."

"Good for him! That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I spoke to several people about getting my pilot's badge, but they told me I had to go through the training period. I was thinking that, since I'm from District Six, I could skip that period. After all, I did grow up flying planes and helicopters."

Terra frowns sympathetically. "I'm afraid not. You see, flying a hovercraft is very different from an aircraft. Depending on how you do, I can see if I might be able to shorten your training period."

I'm frustrated. I lived my whole life being the best at piloting, and now this entire district seems to think they are better than me. Still, I force myself to keep my cool, and I smile at Terra. "That would be wonderful, thank you. Who would I be training under?"

"I think it would be best if you trained under Boggs. He is close to your age, and fresh out of the training period, so he will know what it's like."

"Thank you so much. When do I start?"

"How about tomorrow?"

She slides a schedule across the table, and I think about how wasteful it is to use paper for scheduling. Still, I take it, and smile at her. "I can't wait!"

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the chappy. I'm thinking about having another story going, about how Sierra, Ian, and Juliet fit in at District Thirteen, and how sweet, fun-loving Sierra turned into Coin. Do you think I should write it?**

**The chapter contest is about Standing Alone**

**Who said, "OOOOOHHHHHH someone's got a boyfriend!"**

**The correct answer is worth one point!**

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	14. Humanity

**A/N: Quicker update, shorter chapter. Would you guys rather have a long update and a longer chapter? Thanks to:**

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**Chapter Fourteen: Humanity**

"_You seem a decent fellow, I'd hate to kill you. You seem a decent fellow, I'd hate to die."_

_-The Princess Bride_

_**Soya Till POV (District Eleven)**_

Final eleven. Against all odds, I've actually made it to the final eleven. Two more faces were shown in the sky, but the only one I knew was Vida Heller from District Five. While I knew it was beneficial for me, I was still sad that she had to die. She had always been nice to me in training, and I don't even want to think about how Autumn, her ally, must be feeling.

Sadly, the sun is coming up again and the inside of the Cornucopia is beginning to heat up. Maria pokes her head inside.

"Are you doing okay? Mylar is sleeping. I know it gets hot in there, but you just have to hold on until we find a way to get away."

"Why not now? She's sleeping, we have out pick of supplies, and I don't know if I can take another day in this oven."

Maria looks thoughtful, and then turns behind her and whispers for Dylan to join us. His head appears around the polished metal, and I hand him an empty backpack. "What do you say? Do you want to get out of here?"

He grins, grabs the backpack, and looks to Maria. "What do you say? Are you ready?"

She grins, and scoops up another backpack. "Let's clear this camp out."

I cheer softly, and step out onto the sand. "Let's grab everything we can carry."

Dylan tosses me two backpacks, and scoops up two more. "We should each take two backpacks. I'll gather weapons. Maria, you should gather food and water, and Soya, you collect the medical and survival gear."

Maria and I nod, and we all begin rooting through the camp. I take some paint, a tent, two sleeping bags, a blanket, night vision goggles, a first aid kit, and some rope. After a few minutes we all meet back up at the mouth of the Cornucopia, each with our own packs.

Maria looks to Mylar, who still sleeps quietly a few yards away. "I guess we have to kill her."

Dylan reaches into one of his packs and pulls out a sword. He walks over to her sleeping form and raises the sword, ready to plunge it into her heart.

"Wait!" I whisper-yell, and Dylan lowers his weapon. "It's not right. We can't just kill her in her sleep. The whole reason we're leaving is so we don't become savages like the rest of the Careers. If you kill her now, you're no better than them."

Dylan looks at his sword, and back at Mylar. "I know, you're right. But we still can't just leave her. You know she'll hunt us down. I bet she has sponsors, and she will be able to get supplies once again."

"Maybe she doesn't though. We have everything now. If we leave, we will get far enough away so that she can't bother us again."

Dylan sighs, and walks back over to us. "Let's just go."

I turn to Maria, who has been silent throughout this exchange. "What do you think?"

"I agree with you. It would be just a little too bloodthirsty to kill someone so defenseless in their sleep."

She adjusts the strap on one of her packs, and starts walking towards the cliffs were Dylan and I looked for water just days ago. It seems like we have been in this Arena for so much longer than just four days. Already I can feel my morals slipping away, replaced by a carnal urge to get home to my family and friends. I shake my head to clear my thoughts, and continue trudging along behind Maria.

A little later, after we have climbed down the cliffs, I turn to Maria. "Do you really want to camp down here? I know there's water a few miles that way, but there could be more Morsusnakes."

She scans the area, and then turns to me. "It doesn't look like there are any, and we are three, heavily armed people. I'm sure, even if we run into one, we will be able to handle it."

I nod, and we continue trudging until we reach the small lake. "This seems like a good spot," Dylan says, dumping his packs on the ground. "I say we sort the supplies."

Wordlessly, I set my two packs on the ground and take everything out of it. Several hours later, we have established a rather nice camp. Our tent is only a few feet away from the water, and we each have weapons, some food, and a water bottle on our bodies. The rest of our supplies lie in easy reach from the mouth of the tent.

The sun is starting to go down, so I grab the two sleeping bags and the blanket.

"Who wants to take first watch?"

Maria grabs the blanket, as well as the night vision goggles from the ground. "I will. I'll shout if Maria comes charging over the cliff."

We all laugh, breaking some of the tension that has accumulated ever since leaving Mylar. I grab the sleeping bags, and toss one to Dylan. "I'm so happy to finally be getting some sleep somewhere besides an oven!"

He chuckles, and we go into the tent. Instantly, the temperature becomes pleasantly cool, and the fabric beneath my feet is soft and plush, protecting us from whatever rocks lie below. I curl up inside the sleeping bag and close my eyes, but am far too paranoid and alert to fall asleep.

"Hey Dylan," I whisper, and listen as he rolls over in his sleeping bag.

"What," he mumbles back, and I prop my head up on my hand.

"Do you think anyone at home actually expects us to come home? I mean, I have a brother, Sage, and right now he probably still thinks you and Maria will kill me in my sleep. I'm just a tiny girl from District Eleven. They can't possibly expect me to be coming home… right?"

Dylan's sleeping bag rustles as he also props his head up on his hand. "Don't say that. You are just as likely as Maria or I to go home. After all, you have what almost nobody else in this arena has—empathy. Even though Mylar is a terrible person, and no doubt terrorized you in training, you still wanted to save her life. If anyone deserves to leave this arena still breathing, it's you."

Maria pokes her head in the tent. "Thanks, Dylan," she jokes. "It's not like I also voted to save her. But sure, I guess Soya's the only decent human around here."

We laugh, and Maria steps back outside.

"Thanks," I say to Dylan, and snuggle deep into the sleeping bag. I'm asleep in minutes.

I'm only asleep for an hour when Maria pokes her head in the tent. "Get up," She whispers, shaking Dylan and I.

We stagger sleepily outside the tent, Dylan with his sword, Maria with her trident, and me with a knife. Maria hands us her night vision goggles. "Look over there," she says, pointing directly ahead towards the cliff. I pull the straps over my head, and blink as the inky black night becomes a strange, bright green.

About a mile away I can see three shapes walking towards us. They obviously can't see us, because they are jabbering quite loudly and I can hear them excitedly shouting about how they can hear the water. With my face set in a grim line, I look to Dylan and Maria. I know what we have to do, even if I don't like it.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I ready my knife and sprint towards them, keeping pace with Dylan and Maria. We are careful to keep our steps quiet, but they see us emerging from the blackness when we are a few yards away. I left the goggles back at the tent, but the stars light their faces enough so I can see that they are both the twelve tributes, and the District Nine girl.

Neither of the District Twelve tributes are armed, but the District Nine girl carries an axe. She doesn't look like she knows how to use it, but she can still be dangerous if she starts swinging it around. Thankfully they are scared, and turn to run. The District Nine girl drops her axe, and I realize that she is so stupid, she will die painfully by Mylar's hands tomorrow if I don't kill her now.

While that may not be true, it at least gives me the courage to catch up to her, and plunge my knife into her back. She falls with a scream, and I trip over her slowly bleeding out body. Mylar and Dylan keep running after the District Twelve tributes, but I slowly sit up and look at the tiny girl I just killed. She couldn't be more than fifteen, but her life is already over.

Her face is pale, but her lips red as small bubbles of blood form and pop around the corners of her mouth. The slight rise and fall of her chest indicates that she is still alive, but I know it won't be for long. "I'm so sorry," I choke out, hoping against hope that she will forgive me, even as she lies there dying.

Her eyes find a way to focus on my face, and she painstakingly opens her mouth. "You should be," her raspy voice croaks out. "I had a life back home, and you took it away. I hope you remember this moment until you die."

Her eyes become unfocused, her chest falls for the last time, her cannon sounds, and I'm left sobbing over the body of a girl I never even knew.

Two cannon blast follow in quick succession and I know that District Twelve is out of the running. I stand up, wipe the tears from my eyes, meet up with Dylan and Maria, and begin the long, silent walk back to camp.

This was the first tribute I killed. Let my Hunger Games begin.

_**Mylar Poise POV (District One)**_

They left me! I can't believe they left me! I pull a knife—one of the only things I have left—from my belt and hurl it at the Cornucopia as hard as I can. With a loud clang, the knife imbeds itself in the soft metal, and I pace around the ruined campsite, gathering everything I can keep.

Several minutes later, I am left with half a pack of dried fruit, two knives, a mace, one roll of gauze, all packed in the tiny backpack I found lying under the tail of the Cornucopia. Looking at the dusty ground, I see several sets of footprints, all leading in different directions.

Closing my eyes, I spin around and point to a pair of tracks. Setting my face in grim determination, I slowly trek away from the Cornucopia, and towards the oasis in the distance.

After several hours, the hot sun is starting to play tricks to my eyes. I think I see Gilt standing in the distance, but it turns out to just be a thick bush. A large lake disappears entirely, and another tribute starts running when I get close enough.

Hold on. I rub my eyes and squint, but there is definitely a tribute sprinting away from me on tiny legs. He looks back in fear and I can make out the face of the District Ten boy before he stumbles forward yet again. I smile before taking chase. This will be my chance to vent my anger and also gain some more sponsors.

My knife catches him in his calf and he falls immediately. If I wanted him dead, he would be, but I plan on having a bit of fun. He screams as I pull the knife from the back of his leg, and plunge it into the back of his knee. I then proceed to slash the tendon on the back of his right foot, to make sure he won't be able to get back up.

His screams are unbearable, and are making what should be a fun occasion annoying. "Shut up!" I hiss, and swipe the side of his face with my knife.

"Please," he begs. "My family is watching. Make it quick."

"The only thing I hate more than deserters," I say as I swipe his other cheek, "Is a beggar."

He screams again, so I clamp my head over his mouth, trailing my knife slowly down his jawline. "You better shut your mouth before I _cut_ it off."

His eyes grow wider, but he keeps his mouth shut when I take my hand away. However, I think of Maria and Dylan and feel my rage grow. With a shout and a swipe of my knife, I peel away the boy's lips.

He screams, and the flesh that was once his mouth splits from the tension, blood flooding over his chin. I grow tired, and stand up, slashing open his throat.

His cannon sounds and I smile with blood still on my hands and lick my knife clean. They thought the arena was going to change me? Won't they be surprised when I change the arena.

The faces flash across the sky, showing the District Nine girl, District Ten boy, and both District Twelve tributes.

Six more people have to die in order for me to get out alive, and I plan on killing each and every one of them.

_**Autumn Lindell POV (District Seven)**_

So many deaths. It's only been a few days and I've already had everything I cared about ripped away from me. My humanity was taken when I killed the District Eight girl in the Bloodbath, half my supplies I lost to Copper and Apollo, and—worst of all—Vida was torn apart by wolves.

I don't even care about going home anymore. When I think of Ava all I can see is the pain in Vida's eyes, and when I think of the forest I can no longer imagine the sound of running water. I slowly take an axe from my belt, and hold it above my head.

It's better this way. Everyone's killed, and nobody deserves to live. I don't want to meet my end like Vida, and I don't want Ava to have to watch me die on somebody else's terms.

I brace myself to bring the axe down on my head, but I'm stopped by the clang of a metallic pot on the blade. I open it to find a small pack of dried fruit, along with a small note that says, "Just hang on, I'll help you win –Kongy"

I let the axe drop to the sandy ground, and I start to cry. I don't want to do this anymore, but I can't finish it by giving up. The only way to let this truly be over is if I take a stand, and finish it myself. Dusting myself off, I pick the axe up, clip it to my belt, and walk towards the Cornucopia. The Careers might be there, and it will be a good start to getting home.

I walk by the thick bushes, and keep one axe at the ready in case somebody jumps me, but nobody does so I put the axe up and keep walking. Not even three steps later I feel the cold prick of a knife pressed to the back of my neck.

"Drop your weapons and turn around slowly. You and I are going to have a little chat."

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Autumn: You can't end it now! I don't even know who is threating to kill me? Please don't kill me!**

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	15. Backstabbing

**A/N: I would like to thank:**

**Seanthesheep356**

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**For reviewing.**

**It was pointed out that the riddle did not show up for some reason, so I will repeat that at the end of this chapter. The sponsor points are as follows:**

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**I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter Fifteen: Backstabbing**

"_True friends stab you in the front."_

_-Oscar Wilde_

_**Autumn Lindell POV (District Seven)**_

I freeze, but grip my axe even tighter than usual. The knife presses in harder, and I feel a warm trickle of blood start to run down my back.

"Okay, okay," I say, and drop all three of my axes to the ground.

"Very good," she says, and I turn around slowly. I gasp when I see the bloodstained, ragged, cut, and starving face of Mylar. She's crazy! These days in the arena have turned her into a feral animal, and everyone knows that wounded animals are more dangerous.

"What do you want from me?" I ask calmly, wondering if I can talk myself out of this situation.

She smiles, barring her teeth. "I want you to lead me to Maria and Dylan, and then help me kill them. Once we do that, it will be just me, you, Copper, Apollo, and Soya left. I'll leave without hurting you once Maria and Dylan are dead."

I'm not stupid. I know that as soon as their canons sound she'll be coming after me, but it doesn't feel like I have a choice. "I don't know where they are," I say, hoping she will change her mind.

"Doesn't matter—I do. Ive already looked in the oasis, and they're not there, which means they went down the cliff. Dylan found water there a few days ago, so I suspect they haven't gotten far. We'll attack at nightfall. Pick up your axes—you'll need them."

Slowly, I bend down and scoop them up, clipping two to my belt but keeping one at hand. Mylar has clearly gone insane, and I have to be prepared for her to turn on me at any second.

We walk in silence towards the Cornucopia, with me leading. All the while I keep a firm grip on my knife, knowing that Mylar wouldn't hesitate to stab me in the back. After we reach the Cornucopia, and start heading to the cliffs, I hear her laugh.

"What's so funny?" I ask warily, turning to face her.

"I think it's amusing how you keep holding your axe. I'm not going to stab you in the back!"

"How do I know that?"

"I need you. Yes, I'm strong and trained with knives, swords, and basically every other weapon, but I can't fight Dylan and Maria alone. That's the whole reason I hid in the bushes until you walked passed. Without you, I lose!"

"Then what if I just took you on right now? I have no interest in killing Maria and Dylan!"

She laughs, tossing her golden hair back over her head, and no doubt gaining fifty male sponsors at that moment alone. "If you tried to take me on right now, I would kill you effortlessly. I'm sure there would be other ways to take down Maria and Dylan, and I _would_ eliminate the fourth strongest tribute in this arena.

The only reason you're alive is because I would rather rid the world of the second and third most powerful tributes than the fourth."

I nod, slightly shaken. This crazy tribute has just opened her mind to me for about a minute, and seeing inside scared me. She is clearly my biggest competitor. Not only is she superior with weapons, but she has her plan figured out too.

We keep walking, and we begin the tedious climb down the cliffs. If only she would go down first. It would only be a quick kick and she would be falling to her death. Sadly, Mylar holds the knife to my back until I lower my foot to the first rocky outcropping.

The climb down is easy, but tedious, and it takes about an hour until we reach the bottom. Finally, my feet land on solid, horizontal, sandy ground, with Mylar not far behind me.

"Where to now?" I ask. I just want to get this over with. Maria and Dylan seemed perfectly nice to me during training, and I have no motive to kill them. Since Vida's death, I've seemed awfully hollow, and I guess the concept of actually smashing my axe into one of their heads hasn't really penetrated the thick fog around my brain.

"Turn left and keep walking. This is about where Dylan said he found the water."

We walk for several hours and, just as night begins to fall, we spot their tent on the horizon. "There it is," Mylar whispers, a psychotic smile on her face. "I can taste their blood already."

She breaks into a run and I have no choice but to follow her. I can hear Maria and Dylan talking from within the tent about who will take first watch, and I speed up, desperate to reach the tent before one of them comes outside.

Mylar reaches the tent before I do, but waits a heartbeat for me to get there before ripping the tent flaps open. To my surprise, three people stare at us in shock: Maria, Dylan, and the District Eleven girl, Soya.

They scream and grab their weapons, trying to make it outside. I have my axe at the ready, but I only swing it half-heartedly at Soya when she comes running by, a knife in her hand. Mylar, on the other hand, stabs at Dylan, who dodges the blows, and trips Mylar, giving enough time for Maria to stand in between Dylan and Soya, her trident at the ready.

Time stands still as Maria and I stare down Dylan, Maria, and Soya.

"Hey… Guys…" I say, shooting them an awkward smile.

Soya gives me a tight grin, and a small little wave. Her innocence breaks through the wall Vida's death constructed around my heart, and I feel a wave of compassion for this little girl. I don't want to kill them. Making a plan in my head, I step forward and make a halfhearted swing at Dylan's head.

Just as I suspected, he stumbles backwards, engaging me in a fight with his sword. Following my lead, Mylar starts battling Soya and Maria at once. Now I just have to explain my plan to Dylan without Mylar noticing.

"Look…" I pant while fending off his jabs with my axe. "I hate Mylar just as much as you do. If we stop fighting, I can decapitate her while she is focused on fighting your allies."

Dylan stops swinging his sword, but holds it up warily. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"You don't. But that's the crazy thing about trust. Nobody ever knows what people are going to do next. You just have to find the one person in all of Panem that you would risk your life for, and then you keep them safe. If you don't, you've failed. I found my one person here, in the arena, and I watched her die a horrible death right in front of me. If you want to save Maria and Soya, I suggest you trust me."

"All right," he says. "We have to pretend to fight if we want to get closer to Mylar without her realizing what's going on."

With a groan I pick up my axe, and Dylan hits it hard with his sword so Mylar will hear the clangs of metal on metal. The vibrations run up the shaft, and I almost drop the axe on my foot. "Whoa, watch it! Don't actually maim me!"

"Sorry," he mutters bashfully, and we resume our fake fighting. Several seconds later we find ourselves back to back to Mylar. I hold up a finger and he stops swinging his sword. Turning around, I can see that Maria and Soya are losing ground. Maria has fallen to the ground and Soya is desperately swinging her knife while Mylar laughs, ready to deliver the death blow.

Frantically, I lift my axe over my head with shaking arms, close my eyes, and let it fall. Mylar's head falls to the sandy ground, accompanied by a canon shot, just as her arm shoots forward and stabs Soya in her chest.

The fighting ceases immediately and we all rush to Soya's body lying on the ground, but we all know there's nothing we can do to save her.

If only I had been quicker killing Mylar. So far, I've killed four people: The District Eight girl at the Bloodbath, Mylar, Vida, and Soya. How will I ever face Ava once I get home?

_**Soya Till POV (District Eleven)**_

I can't tell if it's the sun's glare or the light at the end of the tunnel that's blocking my view of my friends and allies. The pain in my chest is fading, replaced by a feeling of calm and protection. Still, I'm devastated. Never again will I go home, or climb the tallest apple tree, or tease Sage and my Dad. Never again will I feel the breeze through my hair or the burst of saliva that rushes to my mouth at the smell of a tangy orange. Never again will I love, never again will I laugh, and never again will I cry. Never again…

_**Copper Telle POV (District Three)**_

Two cannon shots sound minutes apart, and I hug Apollo even tighter. "Who do you think it was?" I ask, dipping on of my feet in the edge of the lake.

He grins, and runs his hand through my hair. "Let's hope it was Mylar."

I frown. "I hope it wasn't Autumn. Do you think she's doing okay after Vida… you know… died?"

Apollo frowns as well, no doubt replaying the scene of Vida being torn apart by mutations again in his mind. I kiss him softly on the cheek. "Stop thinking about it. It wasn't your fault, even though I know you think it was. I think its sweet you're so guilty. Nobody could have carried her, and you even tried to knock her out so she wouldn't feel pain. You did more than anybody else could have."

He pulls away from me, and frowns deeper. "Yes, but I'm sure Autumn would have ran faster to save her friend. Don't forget, I was up in that tree with her when her best friend, whom I failed to save, was ripped to shreds by wolves."

"Well you have your whole life to contemplate whether you made the right decision. After all, we've made it to the final five! You should be happy!"

He starts to hug me, but freezes. I sigh, knowing that he caught what I said.

"You mean you have _your_ whole life to figure it out. You do realize that you are going home, not me."

I sigh. "Apollo, we really don't have to talk about it. There's nothing you can say that will change my mind!"

"I just think that if we—"

"Dibs!"

"What?"

"I said dibs! I call it!"

"You call dibs on… dying?"

I smile, satisfied. "Yup! Dibs on dying in the arena. Sorry buddy, looks like you're going home."

He laughs. "You do realize that I'm not going to honor a dibs bet in a life-or-death situation. Say Mylar came barreling around that corner with a sword straight at me. I would say 'Oh, pardon me dead Mylar. You see, Copper here has called dibs on dying. Would you mind too terribly stabbing her through the heart instead?'"

I laugh, grateful that we can joke about our deaths. "I think she would honor it. After all, everyone knows that dibs is the most powerful deal in Panem—except, of course, the jinx."

Apollo looks confused. "A… jinx? What's that?"

I gasp, pretending to be extraordinarily appalled. "Do you mean to tell me that you don't have jinxes in District Eight? You… barbarian! A jinx is wonderful! If you say the same word at the same time as someone else in the room, you can call a jinx on that person. If you are jinxed, you can't talk until someone who was present for the jinx says your name, or else you will have horrible luck!"

Apollo laughs. "That is the stupidest thing I've—"

"EVER HEARD!"

I finish the sentence with him, and cry out, "Jinx!"

Apollo has no choice but to shut his mouth, and remain silent. I begin digging through our packs. "I think this might be a good time to divvy up the supplies. If you have any objections to what I take, just… speak up!"

He looks amused and annoyed as I take all the food, the blanket, and the water and plop it into my pack. "Now, I'll unjinx you… _if_ you agree that you will be the one to go home. Look at what each of us have. I have a wonderful sister, Wynonna, but she can take care of herself. My mom will probably be dead by the time I get back from the arena, and I don't have any other friends of family. You have both of your parents, your younger sister, and your twin sister. They _need _you… Wynonna doesn't. Just say you'll go home, and I'll say your name."

"Never!"

I gasp. "You talked! Apollo, you can't talk! Now you have bad luck!"

He scoffs. "Do you're really believe that?"

I don't say anything. I used to have a friend, Dayta, who broke a jinx about a year and a month ago. You know what happened to her?"

"Yeah," Apollo says softly. "Everybody does. She was reaped, and died in the bloodbath. I'm really sorry; I didn't know she was your friend."

"She was my _distant_ friend. Plus, I'm more worried about you!"

He hugs me, and I start to cry quietly into his shoulder. "I don't want to die," I say softly as he strokes my hair. "But I don't want you to either."

"I know," He says softly into the crook of my neck. "But we really don't get to plan it, so let's just not worry about it."

The anthem blares across the sky, and Mylar's name is the first across the sky, prompting a cheer for the demise of another Career. All that's left after Soya's face fills the air is Apollo and I, Autumn, and two more Careers, Dylan and Maria.

Later that night, after Apollo has gone to bed and I'm keeping watch, a tiny silver pot floats down from the sky and lands right in front of me. I open it to find some raspberries arranged to look like a heart with a tiny note reading, "I _do_ need you"— Wynonna.

_**Eicendetta Glowing POV (Capital)**_

I shake President Snow's hand as I enter the room. He gestures for me to sit on the red, cushy sofa by his desk. I oblige, wiping my sweaty palms on my skirt.

"I'm really quite satisfied about how the Games are playing out this year," he tells me, and I breathe out a sigh of relief. He's happy.

"Well, I thought I would keep the Arena simple. Dangerous yet tasteful mutts, climate that causes tributes to try and raid each other's water. You know… simple."

President Snow's puffy lips stretch in a small smile. "The Capital is very pleased with the show. All I want to do with this meeting is discuss what twist you will be using for the final five."

"Twist?" I say in confusion. "I wasn't planning on having a twist. I think the Capital has enjoyed the simple arena and the simple Games."

Snow leans forward in his chair. "Yes, they are enjoying them _now_. But they are beginning to get restless. And when people get restless…" He crosses his legs and leans back in his chair, looking satisfied. "People get hurt."

I nod my head, trying to contain my feelings of disgust, fear, and guilt from this awful man. "Yes sir. I'll plan a feast right away."

"Very good. Make it something more… normal. Last year's feast was despised by the viewers. They prefer something more traditional, like food or shelter."

I think about each of the tributes in the arena, and each of them want. Autumn wants Apollo dead for dropping Vida, which will cause Copper to want Autumn dead. Maria and Dylan want everyone else dead so that they can go home, and I'm sure with a little manipulation I can make it so that either Maria or Dylan blames the other for Soya's death. "What about… revenge?"

"That's perfect. Whatever happens, just make sure you have the final two by tomorrow night. Then we will send out Caesar to do interviews with the families. Don't let the final two meet for about a day to let the citizens really ham it up and throw parties. And don't let Apollo and Copper be the last two. We already say a touching lover's goodbye last year. Nobody wants that again."

"Yes sir Mr. President."

He waves me away and I wait until I'm outside to let out the big breath I've been holding in. Leaning against the wall, I slide down to the marble floor and cup my head in my hands. I don't want to take the lives of more children. I don't want to manipulate anyone! I take a calming breath and stand back up. I knew what I was getting into when I took this job, so now I have to finish it. However, once these Games are over, I'm "retiring," even if it means death. I can't keep doing this.

I walk outside and have my driver take me back to the office, where I program the weather, the circumstances, and the mutts for tomorrow's feast. Including one last step, I throw in a couple of hallucinogenic beetles right next to Maria and Dylan's tent. I have to do what the President wants…

One last time.

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! OOOH! Apollo has bad luck! Things will not end well for him, I can promise you that. The chapter contest is the same as last weeks, since it didn't show up for some reason.**

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**TrackerJackson**


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